Well, I had my ultrasound on Monday after my doctor's concern that my belly was measuring slightly smaller than normal, and I'm happy to report that everything is A-okay with Baby Lump.� I guess I must just hide it well, huh?

[caption id="attachment_406" align="alignright" width="352" caption=""Congratulations Pamela!!""][/caption]

So Lump is estimated to currently weigh 5 pounds (though I think it's hilarious that there is apparently a 13 oz. margin of error when determining weight via ultrasound).� (Raising a glass of sparkling cider)� Here's to hoping he/she doesn't have some crazy ridiculous growth spurt in the next several weeks before birth!

What's also cool is the ultrasound technician was able to tell for sure that the baby's head is down, which means Baby Lump is starting to gear up for a (hopefully) smooth landing.� Apparently it's highly unlikely the baby's position will change at this point, so it looks as though I won't have to worry about Baby Lump being in a breech position.� Hurrah!

In other news, I wouldn't be surprised if Baby Lump gained a whole pound of weight from my cake consumption alone today.� My wonderful colleagues at the Office of New Media at BU threw me an awesome little baby party today, where they all wished me "Happy Baby!"� (Because, seriously, what else are you supposed to say at baby parties?)� Check out the cake they got me - definitely not a Cake Wreck, that's for sure!� Special thanks go to my boss, Pam, who made all of the arrangements for the little shindig.� I had a great time!

Check out the latest ultrasound pictures on the Sonograms page!

Oven Timer: 34 weeks, 2 days

[caption id="attachment_76" align="alignleft" width="266" caption="baby lump's head/brain"][/caption]

On Monday I had my second ultrasound, and I'm happy to report James and I were able to stick to our guns and deny the opportunity to find out baby lump's sex.� Although I'm not sure how well James would've done on his own - he got kind of excited when the technician mistakenly said "And those are his legs ... ummm or hers!"

An easy enough slip-up, I'm sure.� It's much easier to say "his" than "the baby's" all the time.� Plus, I'm pretty sure they're not really allowed to address the baby as "it."� I bet that has some kind of controversial connotation.� You know, the whole "is a fetus really a person yet?" argument.

Anyway, I'm also happy to report that (as far as they can tell via ultrasound) Baby Lump is completely happy and healthy (okay - I added the happy part).� James and I could see all of the bones (fingers, toes, spine, ribs, etc.) as well as the eyes, kidneys, brain, stomach and beating little heart (132 beats/minute - normal!).� It was pretty amazing, to say the least.

I asked the technician how big the baby is at this point, but he said it's tough to tell since he/she is confined to the womb and can't exactly stretch out straight.� However, all the week-by-week pregnancy sites I visit tell me the baby is approximately five inches long - "about the size of the baked potato."� It's funny how many of these sites use food - often fruit - as a means of measurement.� I swear, a few weeks ago the baby was the size of a peach.

Check out the "Sonograms" page for more baby pictures!

Oven Timer: 17 weeks, 2 days