On April 1st, we had another appointment with Doctor Diane McCracken. We got to hear the baby�s heartbeat again, and did yet another round of peeping and blood work. Everything is going well, low blood pressure and weight gain. There really wasn�t much to it. Afterwards, Karl and I decided to stop by a baby store, which we discovered was Babies-r-us. We were very excited that we started our baby registry (www.babiesrus.com). We only could do so much (it�s a large story). It took us forever to figure out what size nipples to get and how many bottles to put on the registry. It�s very fun but overwhelming so we stopped and went out to eat for lunch. We then decided to do a bit of shopping at some Goodwill stores and Kohl�s (I was trying to find some pants for the ACPA conference I was leaving for the next day). We found some awesome cheap/used baby stuff at Goodwill. I got black maternity Capri pants (very cute) and we were done for the day.
I then left on Saturday, April 2nd for Nashville, TN for the ACPA conference (it�s a national conference for student affairs professionals). It was a great time, and was there until Wednesday, April 6th. I am definitely starting to show and have some aches and pains in the abdominal area. I am still exercising but taking it easy. I am feeling the baby more and more often doing some moves and adjusting herself in her space (forget about me � just push those organs to the side). This is definitely a good month � more energy and more like myself �crazy lulu!
This week was really the time I could feel baby Luka moving around. The baby feels like butterflies in your lower ab area. And of course Karl can never feel them or just misses them. The biggest fun this week was having the Type II Ultrasound on Friday, April 15th. We also did genetic counseling in conjunction with the ultrasound, due to some concerns on both of our families� medical history. The appointment was early in the morning. First we did the genetic counseling. We met the counselor and an intern and went through each of our side�s family history. They drew a genogram (it helps that we did them in graduate school so we knew all about it). After all the information was collected, we were happy to find out that there were no major signs regarding any family disorders or concerns for our baby. But one thing did come up. My latest blood work was all good, no signs for disorders, but my hcg level was high (don�t know what that stays for or I forgot) and they want to monitor that level to see if it goes down or not. It may mean a whole batch of stuff: a)nothing, b) baby might be born smaller than average ( that would be a shocker since I was a HUGE baby when I was born), c) I might develop taxamia (this is related to high blood pressure which I have very very low blood pressure right now).
After the genetic counseling session, we went for the ultrasound. It was so neat to see baby Luka up on the big screen. I got very warm gel put on my stomach adn then the exam started. The technician looked around at every part of the baby�s body to make sure everything was growing and there were no signs of anything. We saw deeply into the baby�s brain and heart, saw the spine, bladder, toes, legs, hands, arms, etc. We had to close our eyes one time so we won�t see what sex the baby was. We don�t want to find out until it arrives and surprises us (but I think it�s a girl :)). After she was done, she left and another technician came in and back into the brain we went and the spine. Everything looked so good. But the best part was just seeing baby Luka moving so much, and moving. Kicking, opening and closing the hand and moving it up and down, and turning around, just having fun in there. It was so funny because she won�t stay still to get a really good facial picture but we got something. I tell you she�s going to be like me� hyper and full of energy but with Karl�s nose. Then the doctor came in and told us everything looked good but due to the high hcg level they wanted to monitor me over the next few months, so I am going back in late May to see how the baby is developing and check my levels. We just so happy to hear the baby�s heartbeat and check out its surroundings. Luka baby is definitely making room for itself and having a grand old time in my belly.