Growing belly!

At 18 weeks and 5 days, I had to post my belly pic from this morning since I really feel and see it starting to grow now!

First Kicks!

Yesterday was a big day!! I felt our little one move, kick, spin, etc for the first time at about 7:30am...then again this morning at the same time! Does this mean he is a morning baby??? It felt exactly like everyone had described it, just like little kernels of popcorn popping inside. :) Pretty amazing. Can't wait to feel more as time flies by. Can't believe we'll be 19 weeks on Saturday. Finally had to buy new clothes, yes maternity clothes, yesterday and surprisingly they aren't as horrific as I had expected...and they are a lot more comfortable than my own jeans hooked with a rubberband!!

18 weeks!

At 18 weeks, I feel like I am really showing now. Still get the questionable looks from people..."fat or pregnant?"...maybe it was the 2 days of non-stop eating on Christmas Eve & Christmas! Either way...I feel pregnant. I'm still feeling great...pretty good energy still happening, which is great in comparison to the zombie I was during the first trimester. Christmas was tons of fun with lots of family and adorable Baby Lefebvre presents from Mom, Dad, Johnny and the "great Ingle aunts" (books, clothes, toys r us gift cards, and babysitting coupons)! I'm still waiting to feel some movement on the inside. I thought I felt something twice over the past couple weeks, but nothing definite. Hoping I'll feel him over the next couple weeks...seems as though this little guy is just chillin' out in there for now, which is fine with us as long as he isn't saving all his energy for when he arrives. ;)

This week, Mom and I are planning on going up to the Camarillo outlets to the Maternity Works store now that I could use some new clothes that fit! My closet decided to de-friend me over the past week. :/ Once the New Year is here, I'm planning to start the nursery. Can't wait to turn the pictures in my head into a reality! We still can't believe we're only a couple weeks away from the half way mark! So excited to meet our little dude in 5 months!

Here is where he is at this week:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. 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 boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Little Dude is now 17 weeks!

We had our 16 week doctor's appointment last Thursday and everything is looking great! We heard the heartbeat for the 5th time and it's strong and loud. Our first round of tests (for downs, other diseases, genes, etc) all came back negative which is a great sign! We had a good consult with our doctor about childbirth classes too so we're looking into one called A Heart for Family that is taught by 2 nurses and is a 7 week course. We had originally looked into the Bradley Method classes however we both decided that since we are not 100% gung-ho "au natural", we don't want to feel out of place in a class that we should be totally comfortable in. So this new class sounds right up our ally. :)



Here is how our little dude is growing this week!
Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — his lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. He can move his joints, and his sweat glands are starting to develop.

Weeks 16 & 17 Belly shots

Back in the states...

We got home late Saturday night from an incredible trip to London, Israel, and Egypt. We spent time with Kirsty in London, had Thanksgiving dinner at her parents with her family and friends. It was freezing cold, colder than she could remember it being in a long time...of course, while the "So Cal-ers" were there. :) In Israel, we spent time in Jerusalem, touring the Old City with our amazing guide Hana. We then headed to Tel Aviv, where we stayed on the beach, lounged, and wandered the city for a few days. The entire country was incredible, the people were so nice, we felt very safe, and it made a great impression on us both. We then spent about 36 hours in Cairo, Egypt...a 15 hour day of seeing the pyramids, the sphinx, memphis, sakkarah, the egyptian museum, and finally a dinner cruise on the Nile. It was a whirlwind of a day in a chaotic and crowded city! After a long 26 hours of traveling and flying, we made it home safely. We are both very grateful to have seen such unbelievable sights across the world!

Belly shots at 13, 14, & 15 weeks

Little Dude's 1st Video

Check out the first video of our Little Dude!

An amazing email from Great Auntie Mel that I never want to forget...

Hot Damn...then the itty bitty jean's overalls we just bought at the OshGosh outlet in Maine will not have to be returned !!! I'm so happy for you guys ! Oh Hillary, bless your heart...you are destined to go camping...often !

And, since our first-born is a male...let me share some thoughts with you....They are just as much fun to dress as a girl. They have a tendency to hide things in their pockets when they are young. I washed an entire "family of worms" and nearly broke Hank's heart. Your little guy will show his younger sister, how she should be treated, and watch after her for a lifetime. He will smile at you, and melt your heart. He will appreciate that you tried to play baseball, even tho' it ain't your best sport. He will say less, and teach you more than you can ever imagine.

Your mother/son bonding will not be shopping for a prom dress, it will be dirtier and more raucous than that...as it should be. We just returned from visiting Hank....On Sat. night, after dinner with him and his friends, he invited us back to the Frat. house to play Beer Pong...Let me tell you ...I OWNED beer pong ! I sunk 4 balls, more than anyone else....but the reason WHY, is more important....
It's because every time I did it, Hank ran around the table, high fived me...then wrapped me in a sweet hug, the kind with his chin on the top of my head. And Hilly.....there is nothing in the world more motivating than that ! :)

The land of dinosaurs, Playmobile cowboys and indians, pop guns and soccer trophies awaits you.....
Yippee !
love to you, Gabe, and Little Dude

12 weeks 4 days Ultrasound pics!

Baby Lefebvre decided to tell us that he is a BOY today!!! We are thrilled and cannot wait to meet our little guy!

We made it to 12 weeks!!!

On Saturday, we hit our 12 week mark! Relief is in the air. :) No more keeping this huge secret and I feel some reality setting in. I'm physically feeling so much better. I got lucky and didn't have the dreaded morning sickness that everyone talks about but I was exhausted for weeks. The exhaustion has started to go away (unless I have days like yesterday when I walk around the zoo for hours and wear myself out) and I'm starting to feel back to my old self. Thank goodness because we leave a week from Wednesday for our last big international "hoorah". We're headed to London, Israel, and Egypt! Time to start packing now.


Last week, we got a couple pieces of exciting news!! On Tuesday, we found out that our cousins, Nicole & Daniel are also pregnant & due just 2 days before us!!! Who wants to make bets that we deliver on the same day?! Then, on Wednesday, we got the great news from our good friends, Christina & Prescott! Their new baby girl, Kira Natalie arrived about 2 weeks early and is absolutely tiny and gorgeous! We are so excited for them! We can't believe we'll be in their spot in a little over 6 months!

11 week belly shot

11 1/2 weeks!

We've almost made it to the 12 week mark! We went to the doctor today and had our 3rd ultrasound...this time, they were able to do it from the outside instead of the inside. This picture is actually not as clear as the ones from the inside, but it's obvious that our little one has grown a ton in just the past 3 weeks! Here is the development update: Your baby (now about two inches long) has been pretty busy this week, growing hair follicles, fingernails, and ovaries (if she's a girl). She has distinct human characteristics by now, with hands and feet in front of her body, with ears nearly in their final shape, open nasal passages on the tip of her tiny nose, a tongue and palate in the mouth, and visible nipples. What else makes her look human? Those hands and feet have individual fingers and toes (meaning good-bye to those froglike webbed hands and feet). Hooray!

10 Weeks and growing!

So apparently I completely skipped over Week 9! Oops...time is flying already. Here is the update for Week 10...we got here on Saturday. :)

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

2nd Ultrasound

It's been exactly a month since we found out that we are pregnant! We went for our 2nd ultrasound today since our first one 2 weeks ago was pretty early at just over 6 weeks. Today, we are 8 weeks and 4 days along. The ultrasound showed a much more developed baby than the first time around...the head, arms, and leg buds were very clear, as was the yolk sac (see weird circle/ring in the picture). This yolk sac disappears at around 13 weeks. The heartbeat was fast and strong today and 174. Gabe and I both felt a sense of relief that we're still pregnant and that everything looks great and healthy! Just under 4 weeks til we're in the "safety zone" at 12 weeks! :)

8 Weeks Today!

How your baby's growing:
New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

7 Weeks Today!

How your baby's growing:
The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.

Baby Lefebvre is on the way!

On September 20th, Gabe and I received some exciting news! We were both thrilled to find out that we are pregnant! The past two weeks have been filled with joy and celebration. We had our first doctor's appointment today and everything looks great. We are 6 weeks and 4 days along and our due date is May 28, 2011. We feel so blessed to share this incredible news and journey with our family and friends!