20 weeks!

We are half way there! I can hardly believe how quickly this is going. And it's only going to go faster with Fall, Thanksgiving & Christmas on the way. So much to be thankful for & excited about. The Lord has truly blessed us and we are just overwhelmed by His blessings!


How far along: 20 weeks!

Total weight gain: I have finally gained weight! I'll give credit to all the delicious food in Hawaii, but I am up 2 lbs from when I originally started. Never thought I would be excited about gaining weight!

Maternity clothes: Love them! Especially the cute dress my Mom & sister got for me this week!

Stretch Marks: Nope!

Sleep: Other than my CRAZY dreams, I am sleeping pretty well for the most part.

Best moment this week: Getting to see our baby again at the appointment! It was amazing to see how much growth has taken place over the last few weeks. To see actual fingers & toes, the spine, the nose! It is just so amazing to me! God is so creative and this process is too amazing for me to comprehend!

Miss anything: Probably my cute normal bras :)

Movement: Possibly, although nothing for sure. But baby was definitely moving around like crazy during the ultrasound.

Food cravings: Nothing really sticks out...I'm still a pretty big fan of fancy salads though!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Gender: It's a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!! She was being a little shy, so the ultrasound tech only gave us a "90% guarantee", but she was pretty confident. We are so excited to have a daughter!

Symptoms: Feeling pretty good this week!

Belly Button In or Out: In- but it's getting shallower!

Wedding Rings on or off: On!

Happy or Moody: Happy! I am so excited for a little girl. Rich is going to be so stinkin' cute with her!

Looking forward to: Feeling movement & getting the nursery together!

 

{Sharing the news with Mom, Dad & Lauren!}

 {Mom & Dad when we shared the news!}

 {It's a GIRL!!!}

{20 weeks!}

2nd Doctor's Appointment

Today we had our 2nd doctor's appointment. I was a little worried it would be cancelled because there was major storm damage in Wheaton & I wasn't sure if the office had power. Luckily they did, so we were good to go! Although we were about 15 min late due to all the down traffic lights...

The appointment was with Dr. Larry, who happens to be the son of the doctor who delivered my sister, Lauren. Funny. I think I mentioned it before, but we are required to see each of the 6 doctors in the practice at some point during our pregnancy. So today we met with the first "boy doctor". I am definitely not thrilled about some guy being all up in my business, and even though people say I'll get used to it, I don't think I will. Gross.

Moving on.

I wasn't sure what was on the agenda for this appointment, as things are still early. I was given a huge packet of info at our 1st appointment about all the different genetic testing they can do, so I thought they might bring that up again. Rich & I had talked about it, and we decided against doing any of the tests. If there is something majorly wrong, they will know at our big ultrasound appointment around 20 weeks. But really, no test result would make us change our mind about having this baby. We don't have a family history of anything and don't have any of the risk factors. Plus, not all of the tests are 100% positive anyway. So when the doctor asked today, we told him thanks but no thanks.

The nurse took all my vitals- another urine test, blood pressure, & weight. I lost 2 lbs, but they said that's not an issue at this point. I wasn't surprised given my total lack of appetite lately. Then she had me lay down so that she could listen to the baby's heart beat. She used a "doppler ultrasound" which looks like this:

It's a little portable, hand held device. She put some gel on my stomach and got to work. And...nothing. I tried to read her face & see if she was anxious or worried. I couldn't read her. I asked her if anything was wrong, and said that it was still early. Still, I was worried. I silently prayed over and over, "Lord please let there be a heartbeat. Let there be a strong heartbeat. Help them find it." She gave up after a few minutes, and the doctor came in. He was really friendly, and said that the doppler is a lot less sensitive than the big ultrasound machines and not to worry at all.

**Hey nurse- it would be been really great of you to share that info with the nervous 1st time pregnant lady you are poking in the gut. Whatever.

The doctor did not seem worried at all, and brought us into a different room to do the ultrasound. Thankfully, he found the heartbeat right away. He said it was strong & about 160+ bpm. I was so relieved! We were not expecting to have an ultrasound, and it was a special treat to get to see the baby! It actually had distinguishable arms & legs! WOW! The baby is about 2.5 inches long now- simply amazing. I don't think I'll ever get over how incredible this whole process is...

After we confirmed the heartbeat, the nurse came back in and took some blood (kind of a lot of blood actually). Our next appointment will be on August 7th at 1pm with our regular doctor! YAY!

Our first ultrasound

Like I mentioned before, our sweet doctor ordered an ultrasound for Friday at 10:45am so that Rich could be sure to make it. She wanted to confirm how far along I was, since there was a chance I could have been a month further along.

Rich & I were really excited and nervous for the appointment. We knew that we would probably be able to see the heartbeat, and there was a possibility that we could even hear it! We prayed in the car before walking inside the office, not quite sure of what we might see. Rich prayed over me, asking for peace and comfort, as well as a strong heart beat for our little one. Quick side note- I just adore that man. He can calm me down right away with just a hug or a quick prayer. I am so thankful for the way that he knows and loves me. What a guy!

The ultrasound was scheduled for the Warrenville office. It's one of the bigger offices, and sometimes the receptionists there are quite rude. However, we had a very pleasant experience since it was still early on a Friday. The waiting room was not crowded, and we didn't have to wait very long. That was a blessing, since they ask you to have a full bladder before the ultrasound. Yikes! 

The technician asked Rich to wait while she got things set up. I was a little anxious that he was not going to be with me right away, but he smiled at me and said he'd be right in. This might be TMI for some-- but the technician said she would try to do the ultrasound on my stomach first, but since it was early, she may have to do an internal ultrasound. The room was big and cool, and the lights were dim. She had me lay on the table and roll my yoga pants down a little bit. The ultrasound jelly {I'm sure it has a better name than that} was really warm- almost hot! That surprised me quite a bit actually. I laid on the table while she rolled the device across my stomach. I tried to watch her face for any sort of concern- she was an obvious pro and made quick work. Right away, she said she could see the heartbeat. She turned up the volume on the machine, and I heard a noise. She flashed a smile at me and said, "Let's bring your husband in!" 

Rich came in and stood next to me. The technician turned the screen around so that we could both see. She pointed out the yoke sack- a term I didn't realize was used for babies! And then just below it, she showed us the little flicker of a heartbeat! After starring at it for a few moments, she turned up the volume, and we could hear the heartbeat too! It was absolutely incredible. It blew my mind to know that there was another beating heart inside my body. She said the heartbeat was strong- about 159 bpm! Praise the Lord, we were both so happy. What a beautiful noise.

She printed us out two different images; one of the baby, and another with the heartbeat. She said that I was measuring about 7 weeks 2 days, but that with the room for error, they would probably not adjust my due date. 

So, January 18th, 2013 it is! And as soon as I scan in the ultrasound picture, I will update this post with it! We are so thankful to Jesus that things are going well so far. Our next appointment, again, will be July 2nd!