Week 17 begins

So Week 17 begins.... sadly, Thanksgiving is over and we didn't get to spend it with family this year ( i was on call) BUT a sweet lil boy got a heart transplant and another chance at life instead...so we can all be thankful on his behalf :) We just put our tree up!!! yayayayay!! i'm SOOO excited for Christmas!! We almost have all our shopping done too :)

we also got all the border down in the babies room, so its all ready to paint...PINK OR BLUE!!!! we will find out in a couple weeks!! so stay tuned for the announcement!!!

My mom, one of my BFF's and her mom all went to NYC this past weekend and had a blast! however, i have since gotten a sinus infection that i'm trying to fight without antibiotics, so please say a prayer for me- that i can fight it off...

we go to the DR on monday for a check-up...we'll post more then, until then: below are more updated pics :)

Love,

Dave Ashley Bella & Baby Hodge

this is me at 16 weeks (4 mos) in NYC with my mom in our hotel room

this is 14 weeks belly...gettin bigger!!

Bella wanted to join in the pic ;)

and this is actually 15 weeks when we were tearing down border in the baby's room :)

Week 14 (11/10/2009)

so... we went to another appointment with our midwife on Monday AND i lost 2.5 lbs...of course have gotten lots of questions about it... YES i'm eating a ton and NO i'm not working out too hard-- hehe... just b/c i know one of you will ask those very same questions :) BUT i told her i have not been ill... i think i'm losing all my muscle that i USED to have and that's really the reason ;) this is BABY DIESEL we're talking about here...HAHA
the heartrate was 150bpm, the baby was moving around like a jumping bean (as usual)....and everything else was great INCLUDING all the chromosome tests and NT fluid...YAY!!
we started to tear down the wallpaper in the baby's room, but its stuck so i need suggestions on the best way to get wallpaper border down...HELP!

from Daddy:
while i know these cravings will soon come... i have one myself- Haggen Das sorbet (peach and mango are the best). you should go straight to the grocery store NOW and get some

ive also now forcing Ashley to chug down protein shakes before bed


from Roomba:
beepboop beep boop the dog and i have come to an agreement...she will not shed as much so i may go on an extended vacation (until baby comes). i'm done sweeping up "tumble bellas" that roll across the floor. i wish mom would empty me more...dad's the only one who takes care of me...beeeppp (redocking sound)

My thoughts on the ultrasound

So I was very sad to miss the ultrasound but very excited once I saw the pictures! For a while it is one of those things where you are "ya I am having a baby" and your excited. But as it goes it gets more exciting and more real per say. After hearing the heartbeat I was super excited. Now after seeing the ultrasound pictures I was extremely excited. I was on the road for work at the time. After seeing those pictures I got a an extra boost...an extra jump in my step. It's amazing that we can create a baby! The pictures are awesome! Everyone thinks it's a He, myself included, but maybe since everyone thinks that it will be a She. Either way I am excited. Not much longer until we foind out!!

week 13 ULTRASOUND pics!!!

Hello,

So things have been very busy for the Hodge Family...Dave was at Ohio State for work last week, I flew in to Dallas for the AmSECT pediatric conference on Tuesday...Dave met me in Dallas on Friday, we both flew back to Charleston Sunday and Dave left again today for St Louis for a week again!! euughh... good thing i'm over the first trimester and have my energy back or i'd be draggin! hehe

I went today for my 1st ultrasound...so sad Dave couldn't be there with me, but it was all good :) it was for the 1st trimester screening for downs and other chromosomal abnormalities...everything measured up perfect :) THANK YOU JESUS!!

so below are the pictures of the ultrasound... i'm measuring ahead of my due date a little... i'm calculated at 13 weeks 4 days and the baby is measuring 14 weeks 1 day (i know, very insignificant!) and the little one was jumping around like a JUMPING BEAN! it would squat and jump so hard it would bounce its head off the other side!! so funny! and it kept doing it- she said..."well i can't get any measurments with it jumping like that, i guess we'll just wait and watch the show!" HAHA so its already an active one ...like its big sis, Bella ;) (as shes staring at me now whining for me to throw the ball )

i still haven't changed much body wise except i look bloated (like i spent the night in a dunkin donuts and ate everything in the store) HAHA we'll post pics this weekend when Dave gets home

other than that..all is well. we miss and love you all!!

Ashley, Dave, Bella & Baby Hodge

this was to measure the HR which was 147 bpm...you know what that means!

this is of its cute lil face...you can see its mouth is open... it kept opening and closing its mouth like a fish---she said its pry swallowing, which is a good sign that its a well developed function this early... i love its cute lil nose!!

this is when they were measuring its crown to rump size, but since it was doing crunches it wasn't very accurate- there's another one later where he/she uncurled its neck

you can see its legs at the bottom too

i call this one the alien one... looks kinda alienish but you can see both its arms and she counted 10 fingers :)

this is the other crown to rump measurement where it was uncurled and was measuring 14 weeks 1 day and again its legs were squatting about to take a huge JUMP again!! hehe
i love this one too... close up of the head and you can see the right hand in the background-- it was WAVING!! opening and closing its hand at the camera...saying"Hello everyone!"

this is about to take a jump again- you can see the squatted legs about to pounce! haha

this is the arm-- hand on the hip (attitude already) haha...but amazing to see the bones already!

this is the legs again...crossed at the bottom left and the head at the right

after it kept jumping it would spin around on its side so you could see its back... i think its the gymnast in me already working on fulls ;) haha but you can really see the spine again the head is at the right

this is looking up at the legs

she also did some 3D images for me!! this is the head at the top and the left arm across its torso and the legs below

this is another 3D with its left arm across its eyes and you can see its sitting indian style with its legs crossed...Dave and i both think its a boy even though you can't really tell :)

and the last one... with its arms in a praying position over its nose (head at top) and its lil knees tucked in... finally done jumping!! hehe

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