Baby Kicks

I've been feeling Baby P move for about 4 weeks now...just twitches or a rolling sensation...pretty cool. I almost feel them every day, usually after lunch and again before I go to sleep.

Today after lunch I was sitting at my desk, doing my work. I felt like little bubbles popping and then a sudden "boink" underneath my belly button! I immediately stopped working, and waited to see if it happened again. Boink! They were about 5 seconds apart, and then nothing. I bolted up out of my chair and headed to the ladies room, worried something had "popped" and something was wrong. Somewhere along my trip back from the restroom it dawned on me that my baby had just kicked me!!!

Hopefully next time it won't freak me out!

Guessing the gender...

Everyone who knows me is aware of the fact that I'm pretty good at predicting the sex of babies. Darn good. Like I've been right 9 out of 10 times so far. Sometimes it's just a feeling I get, other times I have a dream...either way, it's a gift.

I've been really hesitant to share my prediction for my own child for a few reasons. The main reason is because I could very well be wrong this time. It would just make sense that I'd be good at predicting every baby EXCEPT my own baby's gender! But so what if I'm wrong? I am going to announce my prediction...

At first, I *thought* (notice there is a distinction between *thinking* and *feeling*) I was having a girl. No good reason other than my cousin just had a boy, and life would just be too perfect if I had a boy too so that she could pass his clothes on to me! Murphy's Law...it just COULDN'T work for me, I'm not that lucky.

It seems everyone else thinks I'm having a boy...my mom, my cousin, my aunt, ALEX. I started to think that I really could be having a boy. Boys mean fishing, sports, dump trucks, and dirt! What's not to love about that? And it'd be really cool for me and my cousin's sons to be so close in age (like we are) and grow up together.

The Old Wives Tales offer no help! I didn't have bad morning sickness, so I must be having a boy. I've been cursed with pregnancy acne, so it's a girl. I'm preferring salty foods, so it's a boy. I'm carrying low and wide, so I'm having a girl. They can't all be right!!! We even tried the ring on a chain above my belly trick. First is swung side to side (boy) and then it swung in circles (girl). All I know is we either have a boy or a girl in there.

Let me make it abundantly clear that I do not PREFER one gender over the other. I am thrilled to have a baby, and would be equally excited with a boy or a girl.

Having said that, I *feel* I'm having a girl. I really can't explain it. I just feel it. I've had baby dreams throughout my pregnancy, and they all involved gender-less babies. Well, I'm sure they were either a boy or a girl, I just didn't know which in my dreams. Last night I had my first gender-specific dream...and it was a doozy. It was as if my baby was telling me, "Hey mom, this is a clue!" I was in the ultrasound room with our doctor (and it really WAS my doctor) and she was looking for "the goods." And then I saw it, very clearly, on the ultrasound monitor. I saw my baby's crotch, and there were girl parts! In my dream, I said, "I'm having a girl!"

So there it is. My prediction is that I'm having a girl. I may be right, I may be wrong...we'll find out on May 12th. Either way, son or daughter, I love my baby.

Strong Heartbeat

Today we had another doctor's appointment.

It was a pretty fast appointment since we were just there last week. Everything looks good...my blood pressure is perfect and I haven't gained any weight!!! After she asked if I had any questions/concerns, she whipped out this little wand-thing and started searching away for the baby's heartbeat. I had been prepared that it could be a few minutes before she found it so I wasn't worried when I didn't hear it right away. She kept finding it and then the baby would move! We have a sneaky little baby!!! : ) Ultimately, we did get to hear the sweet "swoosh swoosh" sound of our baby's heartbeat! It was really cool. The heart rate was 156, and if you believe Old Wives Tales that means it's a girl. I don't believe in them, so we're going to wait 5 weeks until our big ultrasound to find out for sure!

Alex brought our camera to record the sound of the heartbeat, and I was going to upload it here (I still might), but it's really soft and hard to hear.

We go back in 4 weeks, and then the next week we find out if we're Pink or Blue!!!

HELLO, 2nd Trimester!

I've passed a big milestone...I'm in the 2nd Trimester now! Supposedly, this is the most "enjoyable" trimester (we'll see!). I should be getting my energy back any day now. I am definitely showing! My bloated little belly has officially turned into a hard baby belly. So exciting!

We had a scare today. I had some spotting at work, and was told by the nurse when I called that they wanted to see me. So we had to make the trek from downtown to Missouri Baptist Hospital around lunch-time! I was a complete mess, I was so scared that something was wrong. Our doctor is so great!!! She didn't waste any time, she did an ultrasound and found our little Sweet Pea, kicking away! All is well!!! Our baby definitely looks like a baby now. We got some pictures this time. We were definitely relieved to find out that the baby is fine (or as our doctor says, "beautiful!"). She checked my cervix and said it's just as it should be, so the bleeding was just probably because of all the stretching going on to make room for the baby. She still wants to see us next week at our scheduled appointment to hear the heartbeat. We asked, while she was there, if she could tell the sex of the baby. Unfortunately we have to wait until May 12! The ultrasound machine in her office is just too fuzzy for her to make that call. Oh well, it was worth a shot!

We'll have more to report next week after our appointment. For now, we're both extremely thankful that Sweet Pea is doing well! Keep the prayers coming...they're definitely working!

11-ish Weeks!!!

We had another appointment this morning. I actually got an external ultrasound this time, but wasn't told beforehand. So...I had an empty bladder and the ultrasound was blurry! No pictures this time. : (

Our baby is doing awesome! Strong heartbeat (we'll get to hear it at our next appointment), and definitely getting bigger. Baby P is looking more like a baby and less like a shrimp! It was so cute, the baby's legs were kicking up a storm!!! I think we're going to have a soccer player or a dancer.

We go back to the doctor in 4 weeks (April 9th)...can't wait to see how much our little sweet P has grown then! AND...we have the big ultrasound to find out if we're having a boy or a girl on May 12th, the day after Mother's Day!!! We're so excited. Any guesses as to what we're having??? : )

I've been doing well. As always, tired! My heartburn and indigestion has gotten a lot better. I'm not feeling sick as often. I am definitely showing a little baby bump, and I've had to start wearing some maternity clothes. Maternity pants are soooooooo comfy!!! Alex has been awesome! Whenever I have a craving, he runs right out and gets it for me. He's been such a huge support to me.

Hopefully next time we'll have pictures to share!

7w6d

Let me start off by saying, everything is fine.

Tuesday night and Wednesday we had a little scare, but everything is fine. I had some spotting and cramping, and the doctor wanted to see me to make sure the baby was OK. Alex and I went in Wednesday and were lucky enough to get another ultrasound.

The baby is doing great. The heartbeat is really strong and Baby P is growing! I was supposed to be 7w5d pregnant, but the baby measured 1-3 days farther along. We see the doctor again in 3 weeks for my 10 week check up. I can't wait to see how big the baby has gotten by then!

Everything is going well. We're slowly starting to tell people that we're pregnant and are overwhelmed by all the love and support from our families and friends! Everyone is so excited about Baby P!!! We appreciate everything, and keep praying!

We're Pregnant!!!

There will be a new baby in the family this fall. Baby P is scheduled to make its debut October 3, 2008!

We had our first appointment with the OB on Valentine's Day. Our doctor, Claudia Krasnoff, is really nice and spent a lot of time with us. We had our first ultrasound and was able to see the baby and its heartbeat! It was amazing! The baby looks good (our doctor said "beautiful"). Our next appointment is March 12. She wants to see me every 4 weeks until I'm 28 weeks along, and then every 2 weeks until I'm close to delivering.

I'm doing well. Besides the obvious excitement and nervousness, I'm feeling generally queasy and tired. I have constant heartburn and pretty strong food aversions. I've lost about 4 pounds, but the doctor said that was normal since I am eating less because of the heartburn and nausea. I am already starting to show a bit. My mom said that by the time she was 3 months pregnant with both me & my sister, she looked about 6 months pregnant, so I guess it's hereditary!

Alex & I are both over-the-moon excited about this baby! We decided to start this website so that our family and friends all over can keep up to date with our baby's progress. Check back with us monthly, because we will update it frequently!

Please add Baby P to your prayers!!!