Suggestions Please!

Although Tom and I are keeping our name choices secret, I think we may need some advice. First names we have a pretty good handle on, but the middle ones are giving us a little trouble. So, I know this may be difficult without knowing what the first name will be, but anyone have any good middle name suggestions? Just throw them out there! Thanks!!

My Achy, Burning Heart

Heartburn is my newfound companion. It showed up a few days ago, and has been by my side ever since. In fact, it was so close to me last night I had to sleep propped up on our couch to make room for it. Along with this, I have eaten a lot of Tums...so much so I should probably invest stock in them. Oh, well. It will be over soon enough.

I am so excited because my showers are coming up - yeah!! My Pope family/friend shower is this Sunday, and my Edge family/friend shower is the next Saturday. I am even more excited that my aunt and grandma are coming up for my shower because they live pretty far away, and I was not expecting to see them until after our little one arrives. I love showers. They are such a silly, girly thing to do, but it is always a lot of fun. I usually like attending more than receiving because everyone's not looking at you, and you get to give fun presents. I am really excited to have these, though, just because it seems like there is so much stuff the baby still needs, and any gift we receive is less shopping I will have to do myself! Shopping is actually becoming a bit difficult for me, at least my normal way of shopping. I like to go and wander around for an hour or so, but if I do that, I inevitably get tired or distracted and completely forget what I was there for in the first place...someday perhaps I will have my mind back. Maybe. There are probably a lot of you who would argue that I never had it in the firstplace. Anywho, I am definitely rambling at this point, so I am going to go do something productive. Have a Happy New Year!!

Heads Up - Registry Change!

Just wanted to post a note that I changed my diaper registry to Wildflower Diapers instead of Nicki's Diapers. They had more of the covers that I wanted. You will need to have a password to see the registry and that is babypope. I will try to link it without the password under the registries section in the left blog column.

Merry Christmas!

Well, today was Tom and I's last Christmas alone together. It's kind of crazy to think how different next year will be. That's okay. We had a really great day and enjoyed spending time with both our families. I hope everyone else had an excellent holiday, too. We got some cool gifts that I am super excited about, like the back massager from my parents and the massage/pedicure package my awesome husband bought for me! And the baby (who shall remain nameless) got presents as well - a sleep slack and duck from Nana, a strawberry outfit from all the Edge Aunts and Uncles, and a mermaid bib/onesie outfit from her cousins! We are very excited to try all these things out once she arrives and grows into them. Thank you!!!

Until there is more to report, be safe and Happy Holidays to everyone!!

What We Really Need

I have been getting asked frequently what Tom and I really need or want for the baby. Enough so that I decided to do a post on it!! Soooo, here is our list of urgent needs and wants and where to find it. This does include some items which are only available online. I also bolded the items which are the most important.

There is a whole section on diaper covers because this is a little more detailed. Keep in mind most things we need are on the registries, so you can go to the store or go online to shop. Babies "R" Us will also ship the items to our local store and we can pick it up so you do not have to pay shipping. I will try to keep this list updated for everyone.

BIGGEST NEEDS:
Furniture/Baby Gear
Hotsling (Babies "R" Us)
Babyhawk Mei Tai Carrier (BabyHawk) Tom is excited about this one because he helped design it. He picked the flame side :)
Toy box (Babies "R" Us)

Feeding
BREAST PUMP - Ameda Purely Yours with Carry-all or Medela Pump in Style Advanced (Medela available at Babies "R" Us or Target, Ameda available online at http://www.amedababy.com/) *I also found out that Discount Drug Marts carry the Ameda pump locally. They have a few locations locally.
High chair (Target)

Clothing/Layette

2-4 Receiving blankets (Babies "R" Us)

2 Ultimate crib sheets (Babies "R" Us)

Diapering
Diaper Bag (Babies "R" Us

Wet Bag (Target)

Diaper Covers: BIG NEED!!! We are going to use a diaper service, but this does not include the diaper covers, so this is an area we really need! I have a registry at Wildflower Diapers. We will need 6-8 covers in each size, and we would like to have newborns and smalls already, although we will need larger sizes, too. Brands to shop for are: Thirsties V2 diaper covers, Bummis Super Brites, and Imse Vimse Soft and Organic. I tried to link all of the covers to the brand page so you could see what they are and what to look for. Again, all of those are available through Wildflower Diapers, and there is also a gift certificate option if you are unsure of what to buy. *Update: I have around 5 newborn covers now, but only 4 smalls, so that would be a better size to buy!

Other: Health and safety items, like thermometer, nail clippers, etc (Babies "R" Us)

THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

- Any feeding (teethers, pacifiers, bottles, nipples) should be BPA free plastic. BPA is a harmful chemical found in plastics, and leeches from the plastic when it is heated or cooled. Not something we want to expose the little Pope to! See my BPA section on the side for more info.

- If you buy any toiletries (lotion, shampoo, etc) please make sure it is fragrance free because Tom is highly allergic to scented things.

- We' d also like to keep the baby gear (swings, seats, etc) to a minimum due to space, so we'd really only like what is listed on our registries.

Finally, thank you all in advance for loving and caring enough about us and our little one to even think of shopping for us at all. We truly appreciate all the gifts and support we have received so far, and those that we will receive. It is wonderful to know how much we are loved:)

My Stroller Arrived!!

I know I'm supposed to wait till after my baby shower to buy things, but I found the stroller I want online at a significant discount, so I bought it. Yippee!! I can't believe I'm this excited about a stroller. It is a Baby Planet Solo Sport in charcoal...oooh! Ahhhh! It is truly ridiculous how much time I have spent researching strollers. It was my first baby obsession. When I took Tom to Babies "R" Us, he hated all the strollers at the store, and felt they were flimsy. That prompted endless researching on my part to find the ultimate stroller. Sad, I know:) BUT, I was really excited when I came across Baby Planet strollers. Baby Planet has a selection of strollers and a bassinet, which are in the middle of the price range but supposedly have great quality. They also have a recycling program so you can return the product to them when you are finished with it, and they recycle it! Pretty cool.

Anyway, it arrived sometime last week, and I put it all together and played with it, which was kind of exciting. Tom was pretty pleased with the stability of it (and by that I mean he said it didn't suck and felt better than the ones at the store). Now I just have to wait for my baby to arrive so I can push her in it!

PS: Here is a video review of my stroller on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3oW7Y3Ax7I in case anyone else is in the market. I wanted to take my own pictures or video it myself to show it off, but the camera is having issues, and I couldn't figure out the video thing...sorry. Maybe someday :)

Strange pregnancy symptoms

So today I had cramps all day - pretty similar to what I would expect before my period starts - but they would not go away. I was afraid to take any Tylenol because I was trying to monitor it to see if it escalated, besides the fact that I've been trying to stay medication free throughout the pregnancy. Anywho, I ended up calling the doctor to check if it was okay, and they told me to come in this afternoon since my regular monthly check up was supposed to be tomorrow. After a long wait, I finally got to see the doctor, who diagnosed me with a bladder infection. Apparently there were some white blood cells in my urine. I was a bit surprised because I normally notice immediately when I get one of those - it goes from mild to excruciating in the course of a few hours. Maybe pregnancy is helping with that - who knows?

Other new developments this week include a protruding belly button and extremely itchy feet. My belly button is only a little bit out, but I wore a snug fitting shirt the other day, and you could definitely see it through the shirt :( I'm afraid it's only going to get worse. Oh well. My feet on the other hand are driving me insane. I'm not itchy anywhere else - just both sides of my feet and across the top of my right foot. There is some mild redness, but no real rash or anything. My doctor said it was probably just a weird pregnancy symptom (not in those terms exactly, but that was what I got out of it). Calamine lotion stops the itching, so I guess I will just be using a lot of that until this stops.

On a positive note, the baby continues to grow and be well. Her heartbeat again was "nice and strong." My cervix was firm and showed no signs of opening yet, so again good news. The baby kicks me multiple times a day in multiple places. I think I'm going to have a little kickboxer. She's also started responding if you push on my stomach - she'll kick back in the same spot. It's kind of fun to "play" with her sometimes. I keep meaning to try shining a flashlight on my stomach to see if she does anything, but I never seem to remember.


Well, that's about it. Hopefully it wasn't too much information for some of you. I'll report back again soon!

OMG I'm Really Having This Baby!

I had been counting down my pregnancy by big life events, like I found out I was pregnant in June, then the next month was our vacation, and I figured by my birthday in September I would be out of the sick, yuck phase (which I was), etc, etc. There wasn't a lot between September and November, but with November comes Thanksgiving, then Christmas in December, and in January is Tom's birthday, and then February is the baby! I knew once the holidays hit, things would start to speed up, but it seems like time is flying by at warp speed. I have a doctor's appointment Friday, and then after that I start going every 2 weeks, which I will only do 3 times, and then I have to go every week.

All of this is basically adding up to a little bit of shock on my part that, yes, we really are having a child, and yes, I do have to deliver her. This seems a little silly since I wake up every morning with this large bump for a stomach, but it is easy to forget sometimes when I'm caught up at work or taking care of the house and the hubby (just kidding...he mostly takes care of himself). I don't feel scared - maybe a little anxious - just keenly aware of the fact that our lives are about to change drastically, and we are in it for the long haul. That is okay. We are ready for that. I just need to keep remembering that it's coming...and SOON!!

The Name Game

I believe my current most asked question is "Have you picked a name?" Tom and I both are constantly asked this question, whether from our loving parents or random strangers. My usual response ranges from a simple "No" to "We've thought of some, but we haven't picked" This last response inevitably leads to a follow up question of "What are you thinking of?" To which I am forced to respond, "It's a secret!" Tom and I made the decision early in my pregnancy that 1) we were not going to choose a name until the baby was born, and 2) that our choices were going to be secret until that time. Now very early (like 3-4 months ago) we may have spilled the beans to close friends or family, but we are seriously trying to keep our mouths shut at this point. This is for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it was a decision we wanted to make ourselves and since we found out the sex, we wanted to have a surprise for everyone at the delivery room.

Because this question continues to be asked, I wanted to make a blanket statement that we truly are keeping it a secret and no, we will not tell you - no, not even one name! Most people have been very respectful of this, but I feel really bad when someone is overly curious (whether it is a close relative or not) and continues to ask, while I basically have to repeat "I'm not telling," although I do try to be more polite than that. This is not because we don't like you, but just because for now, it is our secret.

I will say we have narrowed down our choices to approximately 5-6 names first names and 3-4 middle names, but there is no clear cut winner, and honestly, there probably won't be until she arrives. What if we had picked out Katherine and she comes out looking like a Madison (neither of which are on our list by the way)? So in summary, please be respectful of our decision and do not be offended when we will not tell you our choices. Thanks everyone!

Cute Story and Updates

So Sunday at church, this older gentleman who was sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was having a girl. I said yes actually I am, and he went on to explain that he can always tell if someone is having a girl because they don't look pregnant from behind. So apparently I only look pregnant from the front and sides :) I'm not sure how true that is, but I thought it was funny.

On another note, we will hopefully be finishing our nursery purchases in the next week or so. The dresser we wanted was out of stock, so we had to wait to buy it. Also, baby shower will probably be the 1st weekend in January, although I'm not sure which day. Let me know if Saturday or Sunday is better for anyone in particular and I will pass the information along to my planning party.

Shower Update

I have some shower news. I was just recently informed by my mother-in-law that she is too busy at work to get a shower together for Thanksgiving, so the date is being pushed back. It will probably be after Christmas due to the hectic holiday schedules of myself as well as everyone else. I have been getting questions about the shower, so I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page!

I Passed :)

Just wanted to let everyone know I passed the dreaded 3 hour glucose test - yippee!!! I am so excited and thankful to not have the added complication of gestational diabetes. Also, I am feeling much better from my bought with the stomach virus. Hope everyone is well!! Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers :)

Stomach virus...blah

Well this weekend is just not the best. Friday I had my 3 hours of yuck as I posted about before, and Saturday I wound up with the GI virus that's going around. Thankfully, I didn't get sick till the evening, but Tom and I were at the Colerain-Elder game at Nippert Stadium, and we had to leave early because I wasn't feeling well. Then I had to make him pull the car over on the way home so I could throw up....then I proceeded to throw up multiple times at home all night as well. Sorry for the discussion, but that's what happened! I am feeling much better and I have been able to keep Sprite, crackers, applesauce, and a small baked potato down today. Hopefully I will continue to feel better tomorrow.

I do want to brag on my husband a little because he takes such good care of me. He went out and bought me Sprite and crackers, rubbed my head and back, and generally has just been fantastic. I could not ask for a better friend and partner in life! Thanks honey!

Overalls or Dress

I went shopping yesterday! Kohl's is having a huge sale, and I had to get some new clothing items. Everything on me just continues to grow!! So as I was walking, I saw that baby clothes were also on sale, so of course I had to peruse them. I found 2 adorable possibilities for her coming home outfit. I saw the overalls first and thought they were really cute, but then I wondered if that would be okay with the umbilical cord. Then I saw the dress, but thought her legs would be cold, and I actually called my mom to see if they make baby tights, which apparently they do, but are hard to find because I haven't seen any at the stores I frequent. SO I'm taking a vote: which outfit do you like? Or would you keep looking?

3 hours of yuck

I had my glucose test this morning. It wasn't the most pleasant experience. The stuff I had to drink this time was double the sugar, so it tasted like fruit punch on steroids. And I had to fast before hand so I had a sugar rush going which gave me a stomachache and headache for about an hour, then my blood sugar crashed so I was exhausted. I also had to have my blood drawn 4 separate times. My arms are a little sore, but it wasn't the end of the world. Hopefully this one will come out clear, but my family medical history is against me (thanks, Mom...kidding). I also apparently had really high levels on the first test. Oh well. We'll see what happens Monday. I should get my results back then. Nothing else new to report as yet. Hope everyone is well!!

Enjoy the new layout!

As I'm getting better at this blogging thing, I realized there are tons of fun blogging templates out there. So I decided to spice up the blog! Just bear with me as I change some things around. It may take a few days to get it all set like I want!

PS: This layout came from http://www.giselejaquenod.com.ar/blog/

I Failed the Glucose Test!

For anyone who is familiar with pregnancy, there is a condition called gestational diabetes, which means that the mother develops diabetes during her pregnancy only. Pregnant women 25 or older are routinely screened for this problem by undergoing a 1 hour glucose tolerance test. Basically, you have to drink a special bottle of "juice" (mine was fruit punch - not too bad actually), and then wait an hour at the doctor's office until they draw your blood to test the glucose levels. I took this test Friday, and then got a call from my OB office this afternoon letting me know that I failed it. My glucose levels were higher than they should be. However, not to be alarmed, the next step is a 3 hour fasting glucose test. This one involves fasting from midnight the night before, going to the doctor's to drink the juice, staying at the doctor's for 3 hours, and then getting my blood drawn. Not the end of the world, but it's kind of shooting this Friday morning in the foot. If anyone is bored in the early hours, you can come hang out with me at the Western Hills office of Seven Hills Women's Health Center!! I'll be there from 8:45 to noon!!!

Nursery Pictures

I was finally able to get the nursery cleaned out this week! Yeah! Because the nursery used to be the office, we had a rather large desk we had to find a place for. It found a new home in my sister's apartment :) So this is the first picture of my current favorite thing in the room - the sea horse lamp!

It looks pretty cool lit up - it has a nice soft light which will be great for all those late night trips to the nursery. Okay, picture #2.

As you can see, we still only have a crib and our most recent addition - the chair. Hopefully, tomorrow we are going to go on a shopping trip for the dresser, table, and a crib mattress. That way our child will have a place to sleep and to put her clothes :) Oh, and we are going to trim the curtains. I just haven't done that yet. All right, well if we get more things together, I'll post some more pictures!

Registries and such

As we are getting closer to the time of baby showers, Christmas, and gifts, I wanted to point out a few things on the blog. I have links to our registries listed on the left, if you have not already discovered that. I recently added a registry at Amazon for some of the items which cannot be found at Target or Babies R Us. These are mostly things like diaper covers, wet bags, soaps, etc. for cloth diapering, and a few products that are online only at specialty stores. It is impossible to find cloth diapering supplies in stores; it is almost a complete online business. There is one store in Cincinnati called Park and Vine which carries some things, but they are downtown, so it's not a place you can stop in conveniently. Anyway, I am rambling. Sorry:)

Also, Popes and everyone else on Tom's side...expect a shower invite soon. I believe it is being planned close to Thanksgiving. My mom will also be throwing a shower sometime in December or early January, but we haven't pinpointed a date yet. That shower will be my side of the family and friends, so you all have a while to wait :)

And the answer is...

Cloth. Yes, I can't believe we are committing to this, but Tom and I have decided to go ahead and try the cloth route. Believe me, a lot of research went into this!! There is a diaper service here in Cincinnati called Good Natured Baby (http://www.goodnaturedbaby.com), and it will be about the same cost, if not cheaper than disposables. By the way, thanks to Ashley for recommending them! We are hoping this will be a good compromise for us. If it turns out to be too much we will look for other options, but this is what is looking like the right course for us. I think the main reasons we decided to do this is to reduce our environmental impact and for the health of our baby. It will definitely be less convenient, but that's okay. We are willing to make the sacrifice if it is better for everybody.

The Diaper Dilemma

And so, my current thoughts have turned to diapering...Tom and I both hate the thought of creating thousands of pounds of trash with disposables, but the thought of cloth diapers is a little scary, mostly because I don't have any experience with those. I have been doing a lot of research and there are a lot more options than pins and plastic covers. In fact, a lot of the cloth diapers are really cute. There are much more benefits to them, including health of the baby, decreased cost, improving the environment. Oh, but the convenience of disposables!! I am wondering if anyone has any experience or advice they would like to offer - things we should consider that we may not think of? We would appreciate the input :)

A Father's Love

As many of you know, I work with children with disabilities and special needs. I could not ask for a more rewarding job, and my current position has been such a blessing. Unfortunately, one of my former patients passed away last weekend. She was 8 years old, and had many medical complications. Despite this, she was a bright and happy girl, and everyone enjoyed her. Her father wrote us this letter, which I think is a touching and beautiful story from a father and a compelling testament to a family's faith. The names have been changed due to medical privacy, but the message is clear, even if you don't know the specifics.

It’s with a heavy heart that we are writing to tell you that Emma went home to be with the Lord this morning, between 6 and 7am on Sunday.

It is a great mercy of God that Emma went peacefully in her sleep, at home in her bed and her familiar surroundings. No life-support machines. No IVs. No pain or distress as far as we could tell. She was getting over a mild cold and had seemed to be doing better. There were no indications whatsoever that this was coming.

Yesterday, she was up early with her cough – about 6am. Judy got up with her and gave her a nice, warm shower because she had spit up a little bit in the night.

Later on Saturday morning, Judy stayed home with her while I took the other 3 kids to Judy’s parents’ house to get some firewood. While I was gone with the other kids, she and Judy hung out on the couch, watching videos and spending some good time together, since Emma was still getting over her cold and needed to rest. Emma took a nap in the middle of the morning, which was no surprise since she had been up so early.

Emma spent the day at home, listening to her favorite music, watching Veggie Tales and Wonder Pets DVDs and talking on her Dynavox. Yesterday evening, Judy and I worked together to make Emma’s favorite dinner – homemade pizza. We pureed a slice for her. I spoon fed it to her and she ate really well.

We did our usual bedtime routine. We sat around Emma’s bed, as we always do. I read a Dora book that Allison had picked out. As always, I embellished the words that were written in the book. Emma always knew when I embellished the words, and she would smile. On this particular night, I really wanted to see her smile since she hadn’t been smiling as much lately with her cold.

After the Dora book, we spent a few minutes working on our memory verse. It was Psalm 16:11 – “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Then we sang a song together that repeats these words 3 times:

Jesus is the Rock of my salvation

His banner over me is love

The kids really got into the motions, and Emma was happier than she had been all day as she watched them. It was obvious that her cold was much better.

Then we had prayer time. John prayed and thanked God that we had so much fun at Gramma and Grampa’s. Allison also thanked God for our time at Gramma and Grampa’s. Then I closed in prayer and asked for a good night’s sleep for everyone. I tucked everyone in their beds.

My last words to Emma at bedtime have been a solemn time for me for quite a while now. About a year ago, I resolved to treat it like the last time I would ever look into her eyes. My routine is to hold both of her hands in mine, bend over very close to her face and whisper Numbers 6:24-26 in her ear:

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

She always looks into my eyes and smiles, her eyes sparkling. Then I kiss her on the forehead and stroke her hair. Then I tell her I love her, and that she is precious, about two more times between turning out her light and closing the bedroom door behind me.

I can’t tell you how thankful I am that last night was no exception to that routine. Thank you, Lord, for this last moment you gave me to usher Emma into eternity with a pronouncement of God’s blessing. I would not have wanted our earthly goodbye to be any other way.

Judy made 2 more visits to Emma’s room between 8:30 and 11pm to give her some cold medications through her feeding tube and check on her. On both occasions, Emma stirred when Judy entered the room, which was typical. Judy stroked her hair until she drifted back to sleep. The last time we saw her alive was this visit from Judy at 11pm while she was sleeping comfortably.

I love Lord’s Day mornings. I’ve always thought it would be a precious thing to enter eternity early on a Lord’s Day morning. I can’t help but think that Psalm 16:11 may have still been fresh in her memory as she stepped into “fullness of joy” in the presence of her God.

Emma was such a rare and precious gift to us, and to everyone who knew her. She endured the pain of several lifetimes in eight short years. From 3 days old, she was in an all-out fight for her life. We have seen her at death’s door many, many times. And we have seen her elated and brimming with life many, many more times.

Emma leaves a legacy of the glory of God in her wake. Few met her, probably, who did not stop to consider what mattered most. She was an ever-present reminder that “we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23).”

We are stunned at her sudden departure. I think we all expected a long, difficult battle in the hospital. While we miss her terribly and are still trying to wrap our heads around the fact that she is gone, we smile to think of her running, dancing, and singing, free of the broken body she lived in here. Our lives will be very different now, but we pray that we will never forget the lessons she taught us.

Emma was an ever-present reminder that we have an unwavering Lover of our souls. And He is a tender Rock, the rock of my salvation, whose banner over me is love.

Life

And there has not been much going on in the Pope household lately. We are mostly just working and relaxing while we still have some time to ourselves. Tom has been working very hard at being a teacher - making lesson plans, grading, etc. I've mostly been working hard growing a baby! I have a small cold right now, and I've felt a little down this weekend, but I'm starting to feel better. Hopefully a good night's sleep will do the trick :) The next two days I am pretty busy; I have a course Mon and Tues night after work, so hopefully I don't get too worn out. They both are free and provide dinner, which is a great trade for some continuing education credits! Anyway, all is pretty quiet around here, but I'll check in again later this week!

Doctor Visit #5 - Ultrasound

And here is the promised ultrasound pic! It's her little profile - I swear I think she's going to have my nose. Doctor visit #5 went well. My weight and blood pressure continue to look good, and she is up to a whopping 16 oz. I go back in another 4 weeks for more of the same.

Today I also went to IKEA and bought some fun stuff for her room - bright blue and green wall shelves, a stuffed yellow crab, and a laundry basket with a turtle. IKEA actually has very cute baby furniture, and it is all really inexpensive. I believe we will be getting some other large items there in the next month or so, like a dresser, bookshelf, etc. Lucky for us that there is an IKEA really close to our house! Anyway, that's all for now!

Wanted: Baby Einstein Discovering Water Baby Rocker

I wanted to ask everyone to keep their eyes out for this product:

Baby Einstein Discovering Water 2-in-1 Bouncer and Rocking Seat
http://www.babyeinstein.com/en/products/product_explorer/category/activity/NFS0013/Discovering_Water_Rocker.html

From what I have found online, this is a discontinued product, but it goes perfectly with our ocean themed nursery. Not to mention it is very cute!! It is supposed to sell at Target, Walmart, Toys "R" Us, or Babies "R" Us. I have not yet found it online, but please keep your eyes peeled. I would be open to a gently used version as well. If you come across this, please let me know asap so I can stop looking for it!! Thanks everyone!

It's painted!

Thanks to Tom, Matt, Mikey, and Doug (some of the boys from our church youth group), the nursery is painted! It is very, very blue, but that goes with the whole ocean theme :) It is still drying, and we may have to do some touch-ups, but there should be pictures up by the end of the week! And a big, big thank you to the boys for helping Tom finish up - we really appreciate it.

Halfway There!

Today I am officially 20 weeks, which means we're halfway through! Not much else to report except the little one has begun kicking me so hard it makes me jump...maybe I'll get used to that soon :)

Preparing

Not a lot to report right now. The next doctor's appointment is at least 2 weeks away, and everything is going well. Tom has been working on painting the nursery. He got it all primed yesterday, but I had to leave the house because the paint smell was making me so dizzy! We're (well, he) is hoping to find time within the next week to get the paint color up. Once that's done I'll post a picture!

Other than that, everything is going well. I've been feeling well. Baby is continuing to kick and move around. We're trying to narrow down our name choices, but not getting terribly far with that. And don't ask about names because we're keeping that a secret until she's born. We figured we need to leave everyone with something to surprise them, since we found out the sex now. Anyway, that's about all, but I'll be in touch again soon!

Movement!!!

I thought I had been feeling little twitches recently, and now I most definitely sure. They are inconsistent, but there have definitely been some kicks and punches from my little one! I seem to notice it most when I'm sitting still, probably because she isn't that strong yet. I'm sure that will come, though. It's exciting to know that she's really in there!

Latest news!

Well, I had my latest ultrasound on Sept. 10, and all looked well. This ultrasound was to confirm my due date (Feb. 19, 2009), and it appears to be on target. We also got the great news that we are having a little girl!! She was not being very lady like during the ultrasound, and had her little bottom up in the air, giving us quite the view. On the other hand, the ultrasound tech was very sure that she was a girl. I am trying to post the ultrasound pics, but am having some issues with the scanner, so watch for those soon. Other than that, we're doing well!

Welcome to our baby blog!

I decided to make this blog in order to share my thoughts and memories with you all as Tom and I make this journey to parenthood.  I will update regularly with new photos and fun baby stuff!