16 weeks!

Had a Dr appointment this morning and it went very well! I opted for a blood screening that checks for down syndrome and spinal defects. No family history of either so I should be in good shape! The midwife measured my belly for the first time, and it measured perfectly. Good heart rate at 150. And we scheduled "the" ultrasound for 2 weeks from tomorrow where we find out if it's mini-Jack or mini-Jen! :) As a reference, McBaby is now about the size of an avocado!

Practice makes perfect?

So my little kitty Callie has a painful bladder infection which leads her to urinate wherever she happens to be when she gets the urge. She's on antibiotics now and hasn't had an accident since she started on them (PHEW!). In the interest of protecting our bedroom we've kept all 3 cats shut out. So Callie got lonely at around 4:30am and started crying outside the door. I gave it a while and when she didn't stop, I went out and laid on the couch with her for a while and then went back to bed. That worked for a little while but then she started crying again around 7:30. I feel like she's prepping me for the middle of the night cries we'll start getting in 6 months!

15 weeks!

McBaby is about the size of a navel orange now! McBaby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces. McBaby is busy moving amniotic fluid through her/his nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her/his lungs begin to develop. Her/His legs are growing longer than her/his arms now, and she/he can move all of her/his joints and limbs. Although her/his eyelids are still fused shut, she/he can sense light. If I shine a flashlight at my tummy, for instance, she's/he's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for McBaby to taste at this point, but she/he is forming taste buds.

(info taken from babycenter.com)

Grocery Shopping

Grocery Shopping has either become a frustration or a danger lately! For some reason I've had an aversion to most Aldi brand stuff, which makes for multiple grocery stops. Jack still prefers that I save money on him, so he'll eat the Aldi brand stuff. Grocery shopping can be frustrating when I can't quite figure out what McBaby and I want. And it can be dangerous because usually when I go I'm hungry and craving many different things! On Sunday we made a stop at Aldi for Jack and then a stop at Price Chopper for me - we ended up getting soup mix, a sub, a 12 pack of pudding and some name brand OJ. Baby wants name brand!

Emma Lane

I've been getting lots of questions on the "Emma Lane" at the top of the ultrasound photos. It is not the name of the baby, or even a potential name! It's where the ultrasound facility is, on Emma Ln. :)

Ultrasounds!

Here are a few ultrasound photos. The top is 11 weeks, middle is our 8 week gummy bear, and the bottom is our 6 week semi-colon. :)

We're pregnant!

Hello to anyone checking out our blog. I decided to start this blog to keep out of town family updated throughout the pregnancy of our first baby, and of course to continue to update them as the little one grows up!

I'm just about 14 weeks now, and the news is finally making its way around! We told Jack's family last weekend (Easter) and my parents the following Monday, and my sisters the next night. A few friends have heard by now, so I'm sure the news will begin to carry itself!

So far this pregnancy has been pretty easy! No morning sickness, just a few occasional minimal symptoms including slight nausea, food aversions, dizziness - all of which seem to have passed by now. Still haven't gained any weight, but I'm sure that won't be the case for much longer! The cravings have been kind of crazy at times! Here is what I've gone through so far: Sour Patch Kids, egg salad, soup, Pizza Hut breadsticks, eggrolls, steamed veggies, bagel & cream cheese, OJ, subs...

We were blessed to be able to take a babymoon to Ireland recently. It was a great "first" family vacation! I had no issues with all the traveling, and we got to see a TON! Jack blogged the experience on his own blog at http://jackmcdade.com/category/ireland/, and I posted pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/jennifer.mcdade/Ireland#.

Stay tuned for more updates!