Week 26... start of Third Trimester!!!

Smita is now in her 7th month of pregnancy and the start of her third trimester. Less than 100 days to go!!

Now is when the belly will REALLY start growing FAST...

The first (of four!!) baby showers!

This baby is going to be welcomed with grandeur and style. Last week Smita has her first of four planned baby showers - this one was at work and put on by her co-workers in conjunction with a colleague who is also having a baby. Next up are the Buffalo, Toronto and San Francisco showers...

Sanjay Visit

Smita's brother, Sanjay, was in town for a conference... here's a couple pics. Note the comparison of Sanjay's head to Smita's belly while sneaking his in during the weekly progress photo shoot...

Here they are at Week 25!

Back in San Francisco, week 25! I hope that dress makes it through all 40 weeks....

Live from New York City!

Smita and baby J...

I spent the weekend in New York this week, while Sumeet was at his friend Mitul's bachelor party. I had a fantastic, restful weekend (unlike most in manhattan)! I spent a few days with my friend Jayanthi, who's a friend from business school, who has an adorable 7 month old, Rohin. I got to catch up with a lot of folks in NY, including Ayesha, and my long time friend Lara. Here's a picture of Lara and I and little Rohin being fed. Sumeet had the camera this weekend, so we're relying on the Blackberry!


She was kind enough to do my belly shots (week 24) this week in Sumeet's absence.

i got to walk around lots in Central Park to keep chubby Smita and baby active, and Lara and I also got manicure, pedicure's in the city. AND, while we were waiting for our nails to dry, staring out the window, we saw Dustin Hoffman! In the flesh. Talking on his cell phone. Fun! I guess I can't forget to mention that Baby-J had her first Magnolia cupcake. It was a LOT sweeter than I remember in the past...baby J was jumping around after. . .

A few other pictures from San Diego

Some pictures of baby celebration and festivities in San Diego as well as a fun afternoon with our friend Beejal who is also pregnant and our "anniversary" treat at the hotel!

Week 23... from San Diego

Smita and I went to San Diego for the weekend. We relaxed and enjoyed the outdoors and also visited her Aunt and family. Here's the belly pic...

I FELT HER!!

So, big day yesterday (this is Sumeet)... Smita and I were in San Diego this weekend and Smita who has been feeling the baby internally thought she could feel it externally also. So...I put my hand on her belly and sure enough, I felt the baby kick. Little, tiny kicks, but I sure felt her.

Fun!

Here they are... Week 22!

Week 22 - the baby is now one pound in size!!

We made $0.01 !!!

Just for fun, I turned on Google AdSense a couple weeks back and ran ads on our blog. So far, we've had 203 impressions, 2 click throughs, an effective CPM of $0.05 and earnings of $0.01.

I don't think my goal of earning enough to buy a onesie will be realized.... It may be time to pull the ads and seek another monetization tool. :)

Baby's second wedding!

Baby-J's first wedding was my brother's wedding in Maine in May, though no one knew she existed then. This weekend, she got to attend Vip and Vidya's wedding! Here's a picture of the lovely (blue!) couple from the Sangeet.

I had a pretty fun time going through all my Indian clothes trying to find something that would fit me and the baby, given my widening girth (evidenced by the weekly photos below!). In the end, I found just enough outfits to make it work, including a beautiful purple sari my mom gave me a couple years ago and an incredible sherrara that my sister in law gave me - thank goodness I haven't had time to get it altered to fit the old me! Rest assured, the beverage in the picture is merely a club soda. The three of us had a great time at the sangeet, wedding and reception - congrats to Vip and Vidya on a well executed event. (as always, if you click on any of the pictures, it blows them up to normal size)

Week 21...

Here is the belly photo at week 21. The growth when you compare to the first picture is now very apparent!

The Helicopter Follow-up

Just wanted to point out that if you look carefully, the propeller is broken on the helicopter. Luckily, my genius husband was smart enough to buy a protection plan, thus encouraging wreckless flying! We can get it replaced any time within the next year. For some reason, the period of time between replacements are growing shorter...

The Gender Bet Booty...

Since I won the gender bet, I had $100 to spend a couple weekends ago. The rules were it has to be only for fun and not something for "us." So, here's a picture of one of the purchases... a little remote control helicopter. FUN!!

Half way there!!

I believe week 20 means I'm halfway there! So far so good.

On the topic of the bump and the picture below, I wonder if the bump looks especially luscious due to the buffet breakfast I partook in. We named it the 'unbreakfast' of champions, because I had to pass out from food coma every time I ate at it. The breakfast for champions who like to nap after a big meal. None the less, there's no disputing the bump is in full growth mode, though I've decided to avoid weighing myself other than at doctor's visits.

I must say Sumeet's belly is looking quite nice in the picture below as well. Seems less stress and work, and flying remote control helicopters is a good influence on belly reduction.

Week 20 belly photos

We spent the weekend in Miami. Here's our belly photos from South Beach... The bump is certainly looking like a bump!

An update from momma...

Thought I'd add some more thoughts to the marvelous post below! We forgot to post last month that we also got all of our genetic tests back earlier, and odds are quite low of most of the genetic issues. We've got some good Vakil - Jain genes on our side.

On the gender front, I think we have a shy (appropriately modest) little girl. She spent most of her photoshoot with her legs squeezed together, feet in the way of the probe etc. The ultrasound tech finally got the picture she needed to prove gender near the end. I think she was playing with us. In fact, when we tried to get pictures of her face, she suddenly decided it would be fun to start covering up her face with her arms. Sumeet has only 24 hours left to think about how to spend his winnings. I have a feeling there will be some remote control toys appearing in the next day or so.

We've broken the Vakil trend of having a boy first. Sumeet pointed out that on the Vakil side, there are many fewer little girls, so Baby-J will be very well loved. Who are we kidding, it wouldn't matter if she were a boy or a girl - she'd be well loved by both sides.

In other breaking news, I can feel her every now and then. Because of where my placenta is, it is not as prominent as in most people, but in the evenings, I can feel a little tap tap tap. Baby-J saying hello. . . or maybe she's just cramped and trying to stretch. It was pretty neat seeing the heart in action yesterday. Beating at a cool(er) 146 beats per minute.

Our belly shots will return next week - for now, I think the baby's photos are considerably more interesting.

It's a GIRL!! Week 19 Anatomy scan...

We went in for the full anatomy scan yesterday where all the external anatomy and internal organs were checked through the sonogram. We saw the baby - now much more defined and quite a bit larger. We checked for two arms, two feet, 10 fingers and 10 toes. We also watched the heart beat including seeing the valves open/close, took a look at the brain, kidneys, diaphragm, liver, etc. Luckily, so far everything looks normal. We also took found out that it is a girl. We can now stop calling the baby "It" and instead switch to "She." She was quite active, moving her arms around, kicking, we even saw that she had the hiccups for a couple minutes.

This also means that I WON the gender bet, so I need to go spend $100 in the next day on something fun!! Woo-hoo!

Here's a bunch of sonogram photos:

Here she is before and after she she moved her hand into her mouth... looks like she's going to be a nail biter!!

Here's another couple... just kicking back and relaxing...

Nap time?

"4-D image" below; you can kind of make out her arms crossed in front her body and face. Her lips peek out from under her hand at the upper right of the image. Bottom left, you can make out a knee. I think this is the "Stop taking pictures of me... I'm naked and embarrassed" pose

Week 18...

Here's the week 18. I'm a little tardy this week, but this picture is from the end of week 18. We have the next sonogram coming up are looking forward to peeking in the womb!

Week 17

Slowly but steadily...

Week 16 - Progress!!

Here is the Week 16 profile shot. Looks like some good growth this week!

The best vacation ever ...

...thought maybe it was time for an update from me, given the diligent picture taking and blogging from dad-to-be.

The peanut was lucky enough to go on one of our best vacations ever. Panama was the perfect mix of adventure, relaxation, activities... I could go on forever. It's a fantastic place to visit. We spent a fair bit of time lying in hammocks by the sea reading, relaxing, as well as snorkeling (I saw a stingray and many many starfish!), doing boat trips (we saw dolphins!), drinking (virgin pina colada's and coco fresa's for me and baby), swimming and playing cards. I must say the peanut and his 'maternal stores' changed my bikini body a bit, but I took him proudly wherever I went none the less.

He's definitely getting bigger. Well, I'm definitely getting bigger, he's still only the size of an avocado. You still can't tell in the pictures, but I can tell by the pants that don't fit (they aren't just snug now!). I'm slowly making the mindshift to some maternity clothes, but it's a hard shift. I believe my tummy will grow exponentially over the next few weeks, so I won't have a choice soon.

On the surface of it, there's a lot less going on with the peanut these days compared to the first few weeks. I think now he's very focused on growing. This week was really just eyebrows and ear bones from what I can tell from the literature. He's allegedly working on his punches and kicks - I just can't feel them yet. Can't wait for a sign.

Week 15! Live from Florida....

Here is Smita's belly at week 15. We took this picture at the pool of our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. We stopped in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami for a few days on our way from Panama. This was taken on Friday, July 11th.

Week 14 Belly Photos - From Panama!!

Here are belly photos from week 14. We took these from the back deck of our hotel in Bocas Del Toro, Panama. These were taken Friday, July 4th.

We're off - multi-celebration trip

We are off tomorrow morning on a big vacation to Panama for a week and a half and then to Miami for a few days. This trip is a "Baby moon", a celebration of our 5-year wedding anniversary, a celebration of Smita's birthday, a pre-new-job trip for me (I start a new job when we return), and perhaps our last big adventure trip before we start traveling with baby.

Lots to celebrate!! We will try to keep taking weekly photos while in Panama!

Incidentally, pictures from our previous travels can be found here: http://sjains.smugmug.com/

Week 13 Belly Photo

Here is Smita's belly at week 13. I'll rejoin the photo's next week! I think I see a wee-bit of growth...

Doctor Check-up

We saw the doctor today for Smita's monthly check-up with the OB/GYN. All looked good and progressing normally. We heard the baby's heartbeat (beating today at a slightly calmer 156 bpm); sort of sounded like a the swoosh-swoosh of a door opening and closing... It took a little while to find the heartrate as it was masked in a lot of background noise of rumbling gas and a full stomach. Must be tough for the baby to sleep with all that noisy gurgling in there! Good end to week 13.

What's going on in the Belly?

I find it amazing that by 12 or 13 weeks, all the major organ systems have formed. Apparently this week, the liver is already producing insulin. And obviously the heart is formed and beating already. He/she already has 20 teeth or so, waiting under the gums. Toes, fingers already there. If it's a girl, she already has all 2 million eggs she's going to have for life in her ovary. At 13 weeks!! Of course he's like 2 inches long so I guess the last 20 odd weeks are about growth. There's a lot going on in there!

My Belly Week 12!

Well, here's our second tummy shot. While not entirely evident to the outside world (other than Sumeet), there's definitely some progress. I'm up about 5-6 lbs from pre-preggo weight, but it seems like it's all right there in my midsection. My pants are a bit tight (like I ate too much for dinner and need to undo the top button!!) but wearable otherwise. All worth it for the big headed gummy bear.

Week 12 Sonogram & Integrated Screening

We had an appointment this morning to begin the integrated screening that checks for Down's syndrome and several other genetic diseases. The first test (neck skin fold) came out normal which is a great sign. We also got to see the peanut again and saw it jumping around, doing loops, waving etc. It was fun to see... it looked like it was having fun in there. We also saw and heard(!!) the heart rate (beating at a calm 162 beats per minute.) CPMC also had the 4D ultrasound which was very cool to see - we got pictures of all and shown below. It is now starting to look a less like a peanut and more like a big-headed gummy bear! The updated due date is December 30th... I guess that means no Bali or Rio for New Years this year. With the crossing of the 12 week mark we will also now make this blog public. Yah! (Note: Clicking on any of the pictures pulls them up full-size)