Pregnancy Update

We had another appointment today.  Everything is going very well with our baby.  Her heart rate is exactly where it should be and she is growing like normal.  I don't recall if I had mentioned this or not but when we had our blood work done for one of the ultrascans or screenings one of the lab technicians called me when they had the results and said that everything is beyond great.  She had said that the information that she gathered about my body from my blood work would make her think that that I was in my early twenties.  This makes me feel great and that my body is fully supplying our growing bambino everything that she needs.  Kudos to you, body.  I salute you.

In other news, I gained nearly 7 pounds since our last appointment at the beginning of the month.  SEVEN!  This is crazy to me.  I know it is just a number, and I know it could be worse, but this is the first time this pregnancy that I gained this much weight in a small window of time, and I didn't gain this much at any window of time during my first pregnancy so it was very unexpected.

I am not trying to complain, nor am I trying to emphasize a number on a scale.  It was just shocking to me and something that I will be adjusting to over the next few days.  I am more than happy to have a healthy baby and pregnancy so if that means I need to gain 7-ish pounds per month for the remainder of the pregnancy than that is what I will do.  It was just, like I said, unexpected.

Speaking of a healthy baby, Little Sis loves to get cozy in there!  I've had several times throughout the day where I find I am short on breath.  It's almost like I can't take a deep breath in.  Dr. Gaiser has once again assured me that all of this is normal but it's hard not to get into a panic state when I find it difficult to breathe.

Little Sis also loves to move around a ton and with a lot of force!  She is definitely kicking in there!  I don't recall "kicks" being quite as hard with Kate but it kind of makes me laugh!  I mean, I can literally see my shirt moving from all the strong movement in my belly.  It makes me wonder if my coworkers can see it too?!  Nonetheless, I love feeling our baby move in my tummy.  It makes me excited to meet our newest little lady!

Pregnancy Insomnia

We are about half way through our pregnancy and I thought it'd be fitting to go through a little run down of what we've been experiencing, similar to what we did with Kate when we were halfway through!

Physically

1.  Nausea - The nausea that I had with this pregnancy came and went.  I hadn't been very nauseous until the very end of our first trimester and then it consumed me.  I was nauseous 24/7 for about two weeks.  That was challenging.  Kate watched a lot of movies.  I lounged a lot.  As a matter of fact, I think this is when she found her love of Frozen.  Fortunately, I have not been very nauseous since then.  It was only that two week time frame and it has since been smooth sailing in the nausea department.

2. Tiredness - I remember being exhausted when I was pregnant with Kate.  I mean, more tired that I imagined.  This go round, I am definitely tired again, but I don't feel like I am as tired as I was.  Perhaps I don't have time to be tired since I'm chasing number one around, or perhaps I'm just used to not getting as much sleep as I did B.C. (Before Children).  One thing that I have noticed is that I am actually having pregnancy insomnia.  Sometimes I fall asleep putting Kate to bed and then wake up around 11 pm.  And sometimes I am up for a few hours, exhausted, but unable to fall asleep.  Bizarre, but the doctor has assured me that this is all normal.

3. Bladder Control - I 100% have lost control over this.  I've had to use the bathroom way more than when I was pregnant the first time.  It's like my body remembers and quickly goes right back into baby production mode!  Once again, I am super impressed with my own body about this.

4. Bump Status - I feel a lot larger this pregnancy than I did with the first.  My doctor, family, friends, and strangers have assured me that I am not "big" but I feel like it.  'Nuff said.

Cravings

Little Sister for sure knows she is a summer baby because I have been craving a ton of summer-y things.  My favorite sandwich is a cheese and tomato sandwich.  I love blueberries, like I did with Kate, and watermelon.  I have also really enjoyed any "cherry" type of flavoring, like grenadine, like I did with Kate, but a new addition for Little Sis is my love of sugary cereals.  Yeah, not the most healthy option, but I've bought the travel packs a couple of times to get my sugary cereal fix without having to buy an entire box.  That's a good solution, right?!

Side note: Kate is also enjoying my sugary cereal craving...

Weight Gain

Once we found out we were pregnant, the scale has only moved up this pregnancy.  (This is opposed the last pregnancy where I actually lost weight in the first couple months...)  We are nearly eight pounds in the positive at this point and continuing to move up.  This means baby is healthy and growing as she should be, so I'll leave it at that.

I cannot believe how quickly this pregnancy is going by.  Is it because we are already chasing our first daughter around?  Or is because we are getting older and time seems to go faster?  Is it because we are busy working and raising a child AND making another child?  I don't know.  All I know is time is flying by and July will be here before we know it!

More Sugar!

Gender day is here!  The results are in and out of the eight votes we received for the gender of baby number two we were split evenly down the middle!  Four people voted BOY and four people voted GIRL!

Half of you are correct because we just confirmed WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER GIRL!!!  Another girl!  More pink, more sugar, and a little sister for Kate!  We are just ecstatic with this news!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Now, when I say 'confirmed' what I mean by that is a couple of weeks ago we snuck off to a little ultrasound venue to find out a tad early what the sex of our second baby is.  (No, we couldn't wait.)  We were given the same results - more pink - but we wanted to wait and confirm with our real doctor until we started spreading the news!

But IT IS CONFIRMED, so the news is primed for spreading!

This makes me very happy!  I think Brian kind of wanted another girl too!  Most of you have heard my explanation for wanting more pink but part of the reason is because it is what I know.  Obviously if we were having a little boy, I'd figure it out, but knowing a little about what is to be expected is semi-relieving and less terrifying.  Another part of the reason is we have a TON of girl stuff - clothes, toys, shoes, etc.  I don't doubt that I'll be buying more stuff and/or items in two sizes, but this little lady is already going to have a pretty stellar wardrobe to start off with!  Yet another reason is because I don't know if we're going to have any more kiddos.  Brian has always had his mind set on two.  I suppose I'm a bit more open at this point.  If we aren't jumping on the two plus children train, I'm so, SO happy Kate is going to have a sister.  If we decide to try, well, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there!

A little sister!  This news just makes my smile beam from ear to ear! (And, thank you, Frozen, for having two characters that are sisters!  This makes it way more fun for Kate!)

In other wonderful news, our little bambino is growing and progressing wonderfully!  Everything looks very healthy and all tests results have come back so far with glowing accolades!  This makes this Mama even more happy!

We have already fallen in love with that little profile!

So what do we know about our little lady so far?  We know she LOVES grenadine and blueberries like her big sister did while she was in utero. New additions to the love list are cheese and tomato sandwiches, ice cream sandwiches, strawberry smoothies, and Lucky Charms!  (I seriously have HAD to have some sugar-y cereal which is very uncommon in our household.)  Oh, and sweet tea.  Little sister has loved herself some sweet tea!  We also know that she is honing in on her Maryland roots because she has also loved her steamed shrimp!  Obviously all of these menu items make Mommy very happy too!

During our ultrasound we saw that she also loves to stand on my bladder which may or may not be the reason I've had to excuse myself to the bathroom way more frequently this second time around! Nonetheless, there's a healthy baby girl on board and we are so excited to meet our newest addition!

I suppose Brian and I had better start working on some names!

Another little girl!  I can't stop smiling!

Blue or Pink? What do you think?

We had our third official doctors appointment today!  I have gained another three and a half pounds, we listened to the baby's heart beat which was beating steadily at 148-150 and we stopped to get a doughnut on our way to school/work which has more or less become a tradition for Kate and me!

I've been taking Kate with me to my appointments while I can because I think it's important that she is part of this pregnancy and sees the progress that I have made.  I also think it is really cool for her to see Mommy go to the doctor because other than these appointments the only doctors she has seen have been the ones that Brian and I have taken her to.  I don't necessarily think this is a process that would work for every child becoming an older sibling but I think it's a great approach for us and Kate because of the way she learns and understands things so completely.  It is also way to ease this transition for me.  I am very much looking forward to continuing this!  Plus, like I previously mentioned, provided that she is well behaved during my appointment, we stop and a get a little doughnut treat on our way to her school drop off!  (I literally have doughnut sprinkles that have showered the back floor of my car and I see them every time I put Kate in her seat!  In all honesty, while the perfectionist in me wants to vacuum them up right away, they also make me smile!  And I don't have time to vacuum my car anyway so the sprinkles have stayed!)

Just checking ourselves out before we go!

I heart this!

Oh em gee!  And this!

Doctor's halls are made for running!  Off to get a
doughnut!

At our next appointment, scheduled for February 17th, we will be finding out if there will be more pink or blue in our near future!  And, as with Kate, if you'd like to put your voting preference down, there is a pink or blue poll to the right that you can easily vote on!

Before you vote, here are a few facts that may or may not sway your opinion!

1.  When I was pregnant with Kate, I had a dream very soon after we found out we were pregnant, very early in the pregnancy, of a little Hispanic girl in a pink dress with a pageant sash that had our due date on it.  (Clearly Brian would have some explaining to do if Kate was born Hispanic...)  I chalked this up to a crazy pregnancy dream until we found out we were actually having a girl!  Then I thought my body had spoken to me subliminally and told me we were having a girl but I didn't get the message because the whole time I was pregnant with Kate before we found out I kind of thought we were having a boy.

This go round, a very similar situation has occurred.  Very early in our pregnancy I had another dream.  It was pitch black and I was awake and all I heard in my right ear was, "I am a girl."  And then I woke up.  I haven't had any other dreams about the baby's sex one way or another so far and I didn't with Kate either.

2. I have had FOUR people tell me they dreamt and/or had a premonition of sorts that I was pregnant and had a baby girl.  These people range from two very close people: my Mom and my Mother-in-law and two not so close people: my coworker and one of Kate's teachers.  The first of these situations occurred when I was not pregnant.  My coworker, several months ago, came to me and said very matter of factly that she had had a dream about me.  I was pregnant and it was a little girl.  Plain and simple.  Then, a couple months into our pregnancy, one of Kate's teachers told me that she had dreamt that me and another expecting Mommy (one of Kate's friends) both had baby girls on the same day!  Now, this second expecting Mommy was due February 1st and did find out prior that she was having another little girl!  Coincidence?!  Only time will tell!

My Mom and my Mother-in-law both divulged dreams to Brian and I when we told them individually that we were expecting and it appears that both of their dreams occurred while we were pregnant but had not yet spilled the beans!  My Mom said that she had seen Brian playing with two little girls in our backyard and my Mother-in-law said she had a dream a few days after we saw her at Christmas that we had a baby and it was a little girl!

Now, before you go and vote baby girl, wait until you read #3:

3. I have been searching for "signs" of what we are having all of my "signs" point to us having a little boy.  For example, every couple I see with two kiddos with a baby girl as the older one, I look to see if there's a little boy in the carrier or a little girl and they have all been little boys.  Also, I was taking Kate's letters out of her bathtub one night and the last three letters in the tub were B-O-Y, not floating together in unison, but they were the last few letters.  I suppose they could have spelled Y-O-B but that also signifies a boy, so...  Another "sign" was the lollipop test.  Kate was having a lollipop and she likes to pick several out for Mommy and Daddy and whoever else happens to be around.  She picked a pink one for herself and a blue one for me.  In my head, this means we are having a boy.

SO, I am thoroughly confused, people.  If someone is looking for a mother's intuition, I would like to say I have some but I'm afraid I've confused myself six ways to Sunday so I can't help you any more than I can help me!  But, voting is open, so feel free to cast your vote with the knowledge at hand and in just a few short weeks time we will find out for sure!

So blue or pink?!  What do you think?!

End of the Second Trimester

Folks, I don't know where the time has gone, but we have officially gotten through the very last day of our second trimester!  That is, there is only one more trimester left!!!  (1/3 for you math whizzes.)  How insane is that?!  Tomorrow officially begins the third trimester!  We are nearing home for sure!

Here is a quick recap of the going ons of our pregnancy at this point:

Physically
1. Nausea - slim to none, unless I haven't eaten in a while.

2. Tiredness - I have regained energy, for sure, but it is definitely not what it used to be...for sure.

3. Headaches - I've become used to the fact that they come with the territory.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

4. Digestion - I don't have a GI tract.  It is officially confirmed.

5. Bladder Control - I do, however, feel as though my bladder is back to semi-normal.  I don't have to get up in the middle of the night as much and I am able to go for longer periods of time before the urge strikes.  When the urge does strike, though, I need a bathroom quickly.  I suppose we've made some progress in this arena!

6. Bump Status - folks, it's official.  There is a noticeable, undeniable bump - and it is our little girl!  We have definitely made some progress on this front!!

Week 28 bump!

Cravings
No more to date.  I still love a little splash of grenadine in a glass of Sprite when I need a bubbly fix, and I can't really say no to the occasional ice cream sandwich, but I couldn't say no to them before we conceived so I don't think anything has really changed there!

Weight Gain
There is no more "loss" in this equation.  We are currently six on the positive side and my doc said that I should gain approximately one pound per week for the rest of the pregnancy which will put us somewhere around 22 total pounds.  Obviously, we will keep our progress up to date.  Our next appointment with our doctor is Wednesday, August 8, so we will have more of a status update then!

Miscellaneous
(Yes, this is a new category.  I felt as though there are a couple of things going on that I've not yet mentioned.  I suppose they could probably both fit under the 'Physical' category, but since I've answered the same questions throughout our pregnancy I figured I would just make a new category.  And, yes, there is a method to my madness.)

1. Congestion - apparently being congested throughout your pregnancy is pretty common.  I can definitely say there have been way more bats in the caves since we became pregnant and I typically feel more congested than usual.  I've noticed this for a few months now, but I guess I never really attributed it to our little bambino.

2. Tail Bone Trouble - I have absolutely no clue if this is baby related or not but I occasionally have a slight ache in my tail bone.  How crazy is that?!  The crazier thing is I felt this when we were barely pregnant - maybe six weeks along - and I have felt it sporadically since.  It is so weird!  It's almost like I fell on my bum recently and a certain movement causes pain in the tush area.  But I haven't fallen - not since Winter of 2010, at least - so I can only attribute it to the space in my abdomen that is becoming more and more valuable.

We have an appointment tomorrow to check out if my placenta has done the dance and started the move north.  We will get to see our sweet little girl on what could very possibly be our last ultrasound until D-day!!  Is that possible?!  We are only [more or less] three short months away from meeting and holding and cuddling and kissing our baby girl!  That, in itself, is just incredible!

There is a Jungle Gym in my Womb

Whenever I lay down at night our little girl becomes extremely active!  I must lull her to sleep with my smooth moves all day, but the moment I lay down to go to bed starts play time!  She twists and turns and tumbles and stretches her sweet limbs to their extremes!  I swear she has some toys in there - either toys or a jungle gym.  I can't tell, exactly.

Watching my tummy contort in ways I never thought possible is so bizarre, but it is also so amazing to share these special moments, and it is fun for Brian to be able to connect with his little girl too!

Oh, how you'd like to see these movements yourself?!  Well, today is your lucky day because we've taken a couple little viddies of our sweet girl gettin' her workout on!

[Your warning is here: these videos are of my pregnant belly.  They are neither sightly nor flattering, and my tummy is extremely pale.  (The sun rarely sees that part of my body, and I'm pale in general ... who am I kidding.)  So please keep the physical appearance comments to a minimum.  It was hard enough to muster up the courage to post these!]

Check out Alien 5 here and Alien 6 here.  Our little bambino will definitely be giving Sigourney Weaver a serious run for her money!

We Bought a Zoo

Seriously.

We just received the bedding today that we picked out for our darling girl!  And we love it!  See for yourself:

Our zoo.

Don't you just love it too?!  You just can't help but smile when you see it.  AND, it is just what we were looking for for our little girl's room - bright, fun, cute, and perfect.  (Probably just like she will be, of course!)

The bedding is reversible and there are strips on the reverse side just in case we need a break from the wildlife, or if she's not a fan of sleeping with the gators, and it looks absolutely fantastic with our dark furniture:

Jack models with the new bedding.

Plus, Brian's birthday gift from his little girl (which is technically for his little girl) were these three perfectly matched frames that are going to look simply amaze-balls in her pink, orange, and green themed room:

How fun are these colors?!

We are so excited to see the nursery come together!  At first the selection of bedding, baby furniture, and all the stuff in between is overwhelming.  But, like wedding planning, it somehow all just falls into place just the way it should be.  And it is simply perfect.

That's how we feel about the nursery right now.  Now, if we could only find a chair...

(Here are some more photos from our zoo!  Not that bedding is that exciting or required this many pictures...)

Bambino Update

We had another appointment today and all is going very well!  We heard our darling girl's little heartbeat which was beating at a fast 141 beats per minute and the doc measured my tummy...vertically.  This is the first time she has done that.  I measured at 24 cm and she said that is right on target.  By the end of 40 weeks, we will be at 40 cm!  That's approximately me growing 1 cm per week!  Big Momma's going to be up in the house soon!

I gained a total of four L-Bs from my last appointment, which again is good.  We are currently six pounds on the positive side!

Our next appointment is on August 2.  We will have an ultrasound performed to see if my placenta has decided to make the move to the tippity top of my womb and we will get to say hello one last time to our little bambino before we meet her in person!  That is, unless my placenta hasn't moved.  I think another ultrasound may be scheduled if that is the case, but, for now, this is the last view we will have before the real thing!  Which, by the way, is only +/- 15 weeks away!  That is insane!

On one other note, I absolutely love my doctor.  She is amazing and incredible and so easy to work with.  She makes me feel at ease.  She answers our questions.  She takes her time with our concerns.  She is caring and attentive and wonderful.  We could not ask for anything more.  I do hope that she will be there come D-day because she is just that awesome!

So, in three weeks time, we should have another update with some photos of our little girl to post!

And we simply cannot wait to see how much she has grown!

We love you, sweet girl!

A Sign of the Changing Times

Just two years ago, Brian would run into his friends while he was out downtown at a bar...

...Nowadays, he runs into his friends at Babies "R" Us...

Brian ran into Duffy...mid-shop.

This is definitely a sign of the changing times, folks!

To Bump, or Not To Bump, That is the Question.

Week 16.

Week 20.

Week 24!!!

To bump, it is!

Just Can't Get Enough

We just bought two POUNDS of blueberries!

Anyway, like I was sayin’, blueberries are the fruit of the earth.  You can eat ‘em, cook ‘em, smash ‘em, bake 'em, puree 'em.

There are blueberries.  Blueberry pies.  Blueberry crumbles.  Blueberry breads.  Blueberry tarts.  Blueberry scones.  Blueberry crisps.  Blueberry muffins.  Blueberry buckles.  Blueberry teas.  Blueberry pancakes.  Blueberry waffles.  Blueberry syrups.  Blueberry cobblers.   Blueberry dump cakes.  Blueberry desserts.  Blueberry ice creams.  Blueberry juices.  Blueberry extracts.  Blueberry frostings.  Blueberries with milk.  Blueberry jams.  Blueberry jellies.  Blueberry glazes.  Blueberry sauces.  Blueberry upside down cakes.  Blueberry lemonades.  [Virgin] Blueberry mojitos.  Blueberry martinis.  Blueberry vodkas.  Blueberry wines.  Blueberry oatmeals.  Blueberry rhubarb pies.  Blueberry smoothies.  And that's about it.

(Thank you, Bubba, for the inspiration.)

I still can't get enough!

Slip-On Jeans

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have hit 23 weeks in our pregnancy and we have officially graduated to maternity clothes!  Yes, that's right.  The bump is just getting too big for my pre-pregnancy clothing, and today my Mom and I headed to a maternity store and bought some goods.  Not only will Baby & I be stylin', but we will also fit into our clothing.  And, we will have something to wear for the next +/- 3.5 months - that is definitely a plus!

Fortunately, the maternity store had a prosthetic foam bump that was there to project your size in the next three months so you could try clothing on and have confidence that it should fit you for the next few months.  We had fun with that bump!  I struggled a bit getting my clothes on and off toward the end and we were cracking up!  If I'm struggling with a foam bump at 5.5 months, I don't know what I'm going to do with a real bump at 8.5 months!

Another thing that was quite a surprise to me was the lack of real buttons.  For those of you that are unfamiliar with maternity clothing, you don't button and unzip your maternity jeans - you slip them on!  I was confused at first, wondering how I was going to unbutton the jeans and keep that expandable cloth belly part on.  Thank goodness my Mom was there to show me the ropes!  Once I actually figured out the method to the madness, I got a taste of true maternity clothing!  And those clothes are so comfy!

I suppose our bump just needed a little R&R from the beach too because we are well on our way with our growing belly!  I also suppose I can stop excusing the lack of our bump being due to my incredibly strong abdominal wall... (Like that was really the case before...)

For your viewing pleasure, a glimpse at our projected bump in three months:

This should be sometime around the
beginning of October!

Got Spinach?

We received the official word today from the doc with the results of my blood test.  Fortunately, my thyroid tested out normal; however, it turns out that I have officially crossed the border line and am now on the anemic side with my iron levels.  My iron has always been slightly on the low side, but low has always been my normal.  Being slightly lower than normal with my iron level could be a cause of my tiredness and exhaustion that I am still experiencing.  At this point, there is nothing to worry about.  I can either add more iron into my diet or take another supplement - that is, in addition to the prenatal vitamin.

SO, not to worry!  Just bring on the spinach!

Halfway Home

Ladies and Gents, we are halfway through our pregnancy!  HALF WAY!  That is amazing!  We are only 20 (more or less) short weeks away from bringing our baby girl home, and that is simply unbelievable!  We are so looking forward to meeting our little bambino!  Here is our recap from the first 20 weeks:

Physically
1. Nausea - the nausea has subsided 100%.  That was pretty much resolved at the start of the second trimester, which we are very thankful for.

2. Tiredness - while the nausea did subside come trimester number two, the tiredness and exhaustion have made themselves quite comfy in our (read: Mommy and Baby's) world.  I cannot seem to get enough sleep.  Ever.  I'm working on that.  I'm hoping this is just preparation for what is to come.  I will just roll with the punches on this one.

3. Headaches - I still have the occasional headache.  I'm still not 100% sure what causes them, but they come and go as they please.  They have decreased in frequency, but they are still there.

4. Digestion - I've given up.  I honestly believe that I no longer have a GI tract.

5. Bladder Control - I still think it's crazy when I feel like I have to pee like a racehorse and I sit on the throne and only a little tinkle comes out.  All that feeling for just that little bit of relief?!  And so, this is just one more thing that I am getting used to.

6. Bump Status - we are still working steadily on this...stay tuned.

Cravings
You know, they say that every pregnancy is different.  In my pregnancy, I haven't had a ton of cravings.  These are the ones that I can remember over the past 20 weeks: a shirley temple (before we even knew we were pregnant), blueberries, and an egg and cheese biscuit - but only from Mickey D's!

I still love blueberries!  They taste amazing every time I have them!  As does grenadine, as you know, but I don't really want an egg and cheese biscuit anymore.  I must be over them!

Weight Loss/Gain
I have officially made it to the positive side of weight gain.  During the first trimester, I actually lost four pounds.  Then, I gained two of those pounds back.  That was one month ago.  I have since gained four more pounds - putting me two pounds over my normal weight, or having gained six L-Bs since we started moving up the scale instead of down.  My doctor says that everything is going well and she is not concerned with anything!  So, we are moving up, folks!

At our appointment today, our sweet girl's little heart was beating wonderfully at 140 bpm.  She has her moments where she is very active, but I haven't noticed a real schedule.  When I feel her moving during the day, I think, 'YES!  She is awake during the day!'  And then I snap back to reality and remind myself that everything is not always as it seems.  If our little bambino sleeps during the day and wants to play at night, we will deal with it.  Then again, if she so happens to sleep at night and play during the day - we won't be complaining!

While I was at the doc today, I did give some blood to test my thyroid and my iron levels.  Apparently both of these may affect my tiredness level, so we will have the results of those tests soon!

We just can't believe that we are at our halfway point!  It is so crazy!  Here's to the next 20 weeks!

Week 20 bumpity bump!

For your viewing reference, here is our bump one month ago at 16 weeks!

Slacker

I have been such a slacker at keeping up with our blog recently.  And I have no real excuse.  We've been chillaxin' to the maxin' so far this summer - hanging around the house, tending to our little garden, spending time with our growing bump, anticipating those little eyes that will soon be looking up to us, going to the dog park, enjoying the beautiful warm weather, planning our baby's room, planning our sunroom, planning our beach vacation, and trying to get enough sleep for all 2.5 of us.  (Yes, I am still tired, but I'm trying not to complain.  Sorry.)

We have made some progress on the paint selection for our sweet girl's room.  We've narrowed our search down to two colors:

Feather Gray and Mystic Fairy.

We both really like the Feather Gray color, but the Mystic Fairy looks AMAZING at night, so the verdict is still out on that one.

We will be sure to keep you posted - paint colors and all!  And we hope you all have been enjoying your summer so far!

And So It Begins...

While we were out shopping, Brian noticed a t-shirt that he said he had to get.

Said t-shirt.

At first, all I saw was red scarlet - thinking it would be another OSU tee.  And then he showed me the real reason he had to have it:

LOL!

And I couldn't stop laughing!

Yes, we bought it!

And, no, sweet girl, your Daddy is NOT kidding.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

That’s right, folks – we are having a girl!  A beautiful little girl!   A daughter!   And we are just over the moon with excitement and joy!

We had our 19 week ultrascan today where we had a very detailed ultrasound and took a look at all of our little baby’s vital organs, growing limbs, and beautiful beating heart!   My, how our baby has grown – despite our technician saying that I’m “tiny” to be where we are in our pregnancy!   (For the record, I don’t feel tiny, but bless your heart for making a pregnant any woman feel good!)   Our little girl’s growth is progressing perfectly!   We were told that she weighs approximately 11 ounces at this point, which is a tad on the large side, but nothing to be worried about.   Her heart was steadily beating at 143 beats per minute and we saw the lovely little outline of her nose and lips.   Both of which are perfect!  (Can you tell we are a bit biased?!)   We also saw perfect little kissable fingers and toes, and when we first started our ultrasound she was laying on her side with her arms folded up by her head – sleeping just like her Mommy!

We got to see her big, beautiful, four chambered heart beating fast and full of love, of course!   And we saw her stomach, kidneys and brain and got the ‘everything looks wonderful’ approval on all.   I told you our child is perfect! (At what point in our pregnancy can I start the Mommy gloating?!   Um, perhaps NOW!)   We saw her four limbs stretched out and made sure that she was receiving enough nutrients through her umbilical cord.   Everything is progressing wonderfully!

There is one little issue with my dear placenta.   Apparently my placenta is low lying right now.  (I like to say “lying low”.)   Perhaps this explains the small bump, or lack thereof - everything could just be stacking up in there instead of expanding out!   This can lead to placenta previa which is where the placenta remains at the bottom of the womb and completely blocks the cervix.   We would have no option other than having a C-section if that is the case; however, our doctor told us that it appears that my placenta is thinning out and she expects it to fully make the move to the top of my womb.  (I’ve heard of rain dances. Are there placenta push dances?!)   Neither Brian nor I are that worried about this.   Like I said, the very worst case is that my placenta decides it would not like to make room for baby, stays put, and requires us to have a C-section.   There is no harm done to Daddy, Mommy, or Baby (or Jack or Bun)!   We have another appointment at week 28 to see if we have made any sort of progress on the placenta front, so, until then, we will all continue to lay low!

In other baby news, as of today, I have 100% confirmed that I can feel our little girl move!   She is tumbling, twisting, and turning in there, and I love the special moments that we have together!  I can hear her now, “MOMMY!  I finally got your attention!  I’ve been trying for 4.5 months now!”   (I promise you will never have to work hard to keep my attention, my sweet girl!)   Brian actually got to feel his little girl move too!  We were laying in bed and he had his hand on my stomach. I was nearly asleep when I even felt a strong kick.  Brian immediately popped his head up and exclaimed, quite matter of factly, “That definitely wasn’t you!”  I could see the joy and excitement in his eyes in that moment and thinking back on it makes me smile!  You make your Daddy and I so proud already, Baby!

So, we are nearly half way through our pregnancy!  We have felt the amazing movements of our little bambino!  And we are having a sweet little girl!

It's a ... GIRL!!!  Click here to see many more photos!

We are on a very special, very exciting, very amazing journey!

Team Pink or Team Blue

The results are in, Ladies and Gentlemen!  Of the 31 votes that we had on our poll, 18 voted team blue and 13 voted team pink.  That means that 58% of you out there think we will be having a bouncing baby boy and 42% of you think we will be having a beautiful baby girl!  Tomorrow, provided that our little bambino is cooperating, of course, we will have the official results!

Brian and I are both very excited to find out if we are having a little girl or a little boy.  When we booked this appointment, it seemed so far away.  Now it is here.  We know that October will come upon us just as fast, but until then, we will cherish the moments that we have together with our growing bump.

We've taken a creative approach to our reveal also.  (Would you think anything less at this point!?  Seriously.)  We bought one pink and one blue puppy dog and we put them in two separate boxes that are exactly the same.  We have 'Girl' written on a post-it on one and 'Boy' written on a post-it on another.  Our plan is to walk out of our appointment with two new post-its: one that will say 'YES!' and one that will say 'NO'.  Then we will wrap our special gift, meet up with some of Brian's family, get some of my family on Skypey Skype, and open it together.  It makes me smile knowing that we will all be able to share this incredible moment.

Team Blue and Team Pink

Stay tuned!  More baby news to follow...very, very soon!

Punk'd

We took a home pregnancy test, and it came back positive.  We've been to the doctor and confirmed our pregnancy.  I've been nauseous and exhausted and have had more headaches in the last 4.5 months than I can remember in my life.  We've had two ultrasounds where we saw a baby wriggling in my someone's stomach, AND we've heard a heart beat while a doppler system was pressed against my tummy, or so it seemed.  But...I think I've lost the little bump that I had...

So I'm beginning to wonder: am I getting Punk'd?

This thought dawned on me this morning.  If Brian is pulling a nine month Punk'd prank on me, my family, his family, and all of our friends, I would be incredibly impressed with his skills and I would forever bow to the Prank King.  I'm not sure how this could actually be pulled off, and it would make more sense if I was punking him, in this situation at least, but I am really starting to question if we are really having a baby...

I mean, Brian could have planted a positive pregnancy test in our bathroom...(I'm not sure where he would've gotten this from, but he has a million friends - surely one of them is expecting.)  And he could have called up the doctor and told them to play along.  (I don't think I'd have any more faith in the practice I attend if they actually agreed to this.)  And the nausea, exhaustion, and headaches (and lack of period) could be blamed on stress... (I have been quite very stressed over the last few months.)  The ultrasounds could have been pre-recorded, as well as the heartbeat on the doppler, and the semi-bump that I was sporting could have been blamed on my bowels.  (That wouldn't be the first time.)  I haven't felt any sort of movement that I am aware of, and we are supposedly 4.5 MONTHS PREGNANT - yet, even I, the one that has thought all along that she was pregnant, am having a hard time believing it.  (Brian, do you have something to confess to?) 

(By the way, 4.5 months is nearly half way there.  So, technically, if Baby #2 comes along, we could hold off on telling anyone until we are at 20 weeks.  It's not like anyone is going to suspect anything other than the fact that I'm normally a lush and I would be passing on all alcoholic drinks, right?!)

Folks, I am confused six ways to Sunday, and I have no explanation as to what is going on here.  I thought we were having a baby, now I think I'm experiencing a combination of stress, slight weight gain, and constipation.  And if I am in fact pregnant, where the heck is this kid hiding?!  (Baby, don't make me come in there.)

I'll keep you posted, and if you happen to hear anything that may seem slightly out of the ordinary in regards to this situation, I would be forever grateful if you passed the word along to me.  Perhaps we should change our baby girl/baby boy poll to do you think Erin's pregnant - yes or no - poll...

Even Jack is skeptical at this point.

This would be the best Punk'd prank ever...

...And I'd be the one getting Punk'd.

Sincerely,
[Extremely] Confused in Columbus

The Power of Grenadine

Shortly before we found out we were actually expecting, we met a friend of mine for dinner in Cincinnati.  We were in fact pregnant at that point, and I should've realized this because of my overwhelming desire for a Shirley Temple.  Not for the Sprite, not for the cherry, but for that grenadine flavor.  Brian was parking the car and I had put our name in for a table while we were waiting for my friend and her family to arrive.

I was very embarrassed to order a Shirley Temple from the waitress who asked me if I wanted a drink while I was waiting.  (I think the last time I had a Shirley Temple was when I was 8, maybe even 7.)  But the desire to have one was stronger than the risk of being embarrassed, so I had one, and it really hit the spot.  I would guesstimate that we were approximately three weeks into our pregnancy at that point, but I didn't even associate the craving to possibly being pregnant.

When we did find out a week or so later, it dawned on me that the Shirley Temple experience could have very well been my first craving, but it seemed to early for this kiddo to be dictating what he/she would like to be drinking at that point.  So, I kind of disregarded it.

Since then, I've realized that it wasn't just me that night that wanted a Shirley Temple.  A few weeks ago, I, once again, was overcome with a strong desire for a cherry coke.  I'm not a huge soda drinker, but that cherry coke sounded so refreshing.  AND, for my actual birthday dinner on Monday, Brian and I went to Dirty Frank's for some good ole hot dogs.  Again, I just had to have a Cowboy Curtis - a drink consisting of cherry slush and cola.  I could've had that drink for dinner and nothing else, but I'm sure our Baby would not have appreciated a drink for dinner...so I ate my real dinner too.

Our little bambino has a love of cherry flavored everything.  Thank goodness I get to enjoy it along the way too because once the grenadine crave appears there is no stopping it.  And since I haven't had too many cravings, I suppose it could be worse!

Come to think of it, I think it's a perfect day for a cherry slushie!  Hmmm....