18 week update and ultrasound pics

So, you'll have to forgive me for posting this a few days later than normal. The last 5 days have been very tiring and very difficult. It all started Saturday when I was a witness and the first medical personnel of any kind on the scene of what ended up being a fatal car accident, involving a motorcycle and a car. It was horrific and difficult, and the woman I was helping died at the scene about 10 minutes after the paramedics got there. Her husband was air-evac'd to the hospital but later died of his injuries. So, because it was a fatality, Nathan and I were there for about 3 hours until the detectives could come and investigate and get our statements. Suffice it to say...if I never have to do that again, it will be too soon!

I was in a state of shock and horror for most of that day and then that evening, I got a call that a dear friend and man who has been like a 2nd dad to me for the last 18 years, Jim Drechsler, had rapidly deteriorated and probably wouldn't last more than a couple of days. (He was diagnosed with brain cancer at the end of March.) He went from having at least a couple more months to just a couple of weeks. Then Sunday, the hospice nurse said he only had a couple of days. It happened so fast!

So, I have spent the last 4 days at his bedside and with his family. It has been tiring and heart-wrenching as we said good-bye to a man who has been an incredible father, friend, and believer. He went to be with the Lord yesterday morning. He was surrounded by his wife and all three of his daughters, which was such a blessing. They were all able to come home in time...(one of them lives in Colorado, and the other lives in South Korea with her husband who is in the military.) So please keep his family in prayer as well as myself as we grieve his loss yet rejoice that he is finally free from his suffering and home with Jesus!

It was such a pleasure to be with him and his family during his last hours and days on this earth. He was such a blessing to so many, and last night, we sat around the amazing gazebo and firepit that he had welded and toasted his life and told stories about what a truly amazing man he was!


The one bright ray of sunshine in my week is that we got to see our baby again yesterday morning. We had our Level II Ultrasound, which is where they go in and take measurements of everything, and look at all the organs and systems to make sure everything is functioning properly and there are no problems. (We could have also found out the sex at this Ultrasound, but as you know...we are waiting...which means you have to too!) :-) You can see the pictures and a video of our sweet baby boy or girl below...


These first 2 pics are a side profile of the baby...

This picture is of the baby looking at us (his/her face still looks skeletal in nature)...

So, the baby still measured about 3 days ahead of schedule. The heartbeat was 153 and they said that he/she weighed about 9 oz. Baby was moving all around and that was so much fun to see. As we looked in detail at the organs, we could see the 4 chambers of the heart and the valves of the heart as it was beating. We could see the liver and kidneys and the bladder. We knew that the kidneys were functioning properly, because we could even see that there was urine in the little bladder! It was truly amazing!!! Also...as a total answer to prayer, the placenta has moved up and away from the cervix, so thank you so much for praying!

Here's a video of baby moving...

Okay...so here is what I normally would have posted on Monday...

This week, baby is the size of a soda can...

Here is what's happening this week in baby's development...

• The fetus is now 6 inches long and weighs 7-9 ounces.


• The fetus measures about 15cm and weighs almost 200 grams.


• They can hear sounds and may be startled by loud noises.


• Recognizable active and rest periods.


• The skin is building a protective wax layer (vernix).

Vernix (a white cheese like protective material) forms on baby's skin with the lanugo, a soft lightly pigmented hair covering the body and limbs, both help to protect your baby's skin during the months in water. Your baby may hear your heart beating, your stomach rumbling or blood moving through the umbilical cord. He or she may even be startled by loud noises.

Tiny air sacs called alveoli begin to form in lungs and the vocal chords are formed. Baby goes through the motions of crying but without air doesn't make a sound; yet.

Your baby may have the same awake and sleep patterns of a newborn. Baby will have a favorite position for sleep and recognizable active and rest periods.

This week is also the beginning of ossification. And while that sounds like some long and involved paperwork you'll have to fill out, it's really a fancy medical term for the hardening of your baby's miniature bones. And that's a good thing.

Your baby's nerves are making more and more complex connections. Her sense of smell, taste, sight and hearing are all developing. A substance called myelin, which makes nerve connections travel faster, is now coating your baby's nerves.

He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Here's me at 18 weeks...