Broken Water

Well, I'm sure most of you have heard by now, but we are at the hospital. I woke up at 2:30 am this morning with some cramping and slight leaking. I went to the restroom and went back to bed. I kept noticing the contractions like I had been having, but noticed that there was pain with them now. I didn't wake up Doug, but just waited to see what would happen. Then came the gush. My water broke and it was everywhere! Needless to say, I woke Doug up and he jumped out of bed quicker than I have ever seen. We called our doctor and she told us to head on up to Good Sam Hospital. Good thing I had the bags packed! We were a little in shock the whole way and I kept thinking I was dreaming. They checked us in at triage and hooked me up to all the monitors. They confirmed that it indeed was my water breaking, and I continued to leak there some more. I was then transferred to a room around 7am.

They want to try and hold off on me giving birth as long as possible since it is still a little early. It would probably be okay if he came today, since everything in his body is developed except his lungs. He may have a little trouble breathing or he could be fine. We'll just have to wait and see. They told us to expect for him to stay in the NICU for at least a little while, but they said there is always the chance he will be fine and get to come home with us.

They are giving me a shot of some kind of medicine that acts as a uterine relaxer. It has worked really well so far, and I don't have any pain or contractions while it's working. It wears off after about 4-6 hours, then I get a new one. They are saying that we will just continue with this process until the labor becomes so active that the medicine won't help anymore. We have no idea how long this will be! That is the hardest part about all this--not knowing if I will give birth in the next day or if it could be a week. The doctor is still betting more on the sooner than later side, but we will just have to wait and see. The good news is that Grant seems quite content. We hear his heartbeat constantly, and it is perfectly fine. He just wanted to tease us a little bit!

We are now just trying to pass the time here in the room. Luckily we have a laptop, some games, and TV to keep us busy. One of us will try to update you as fast as we can, but we can't promise anything. Thank you for all the prayers and support!

34 Weeks and Counting!

We can't believe there are now less than 6 weeks to go! Although, we are both convinced Grant will make an early appearance--just a hunch, I guess. Maybe that's bad to be thinking, and he will end up being really late. I will technically be full term at 37 weeks, which is only 19 days from now, so anytime after that will be fine. We are ready for him whenever! We actually started packing our hospital bags this week, and they are stored in our front closet for whenever we need to grab them and go. We had so much fun packing a few little outfits and other things for Grant knowing the next time we see them out of the bag, he will be here to use them! We've actually created a baby pool for you to make your guesses as to when he will arrive, how much he will weigh, etc. Click on the link on the left to play!

We also had our 34-week appointment. Everything is still great, and the baby is still low and head down. They measure my uterine growth every visit, and as I've said before, it's usually a centimeter for every week that you are. But I actually measured between 35-36 centimeters this time. (Two weeks ago, at 32 weeks, I was 32 cm.) The doctor said this could mean I may go early, or it really could mean nothing. I could have just had a lot of growth these last 2 weeks and it may even out by the next measuring. He said it's all really subjective, so they don't rely too heavily on the measurings. We will see where we are in 2 weeks when we go back!

We have a fun week ahead. I have another shower tomorrow thrown by a group of my parents' friends and their daughters that I grew up with, and I have a shower at work on Tuesday. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such love and support, and it is so nice of everyone to spoil our little guy!

33 Weeks

Well, I had to go back to work after a week off for spring break, and realized even more how uncomfortable it is to teach while late in a pregnancy. I find myself sitting at my desk a lot more. It was so hot this week that I had hand and foot swelling, and I really noticed that I am starting to waddle. Everyone keeps telling me I am carrying low, and I feel slight pressure down lower as well when I walk. Grant is head down and must be taking advantage of all the space down there due to my big hips. But even after all this, I still love being pregnant and walking around with my big belly!

We had a meeting this week at St. Antoninus that is required before you can have your baby baptized there. We weren't planning on doing this so soon, but the deacon just happened to have a night open this week where he was already having a meeting we could join. So we decided it might be easier to get it out of the way before all the craziness starts. Luckily, it was short and painless, and we met another mother there that I know from crossing paths growing up that will have her baby baptized possibly on the same day as us. We are considering doing the baptism somewhat quickly after Grant is born--possibly on Father's Day--due to a crazy summer and many family trips planned. But we will see when he decides to be born if that is possible.

We also went out and got a new video camera. Doug wanted to use his birthday money for this so we had something convenient to use for all those moments we hope to capture! We got a Kodak pocket HD video camera that is just about the size of a regular digital camera--similar to those new flip cameras. It starts up quickly and videos are easily downloaded and stored on a computer or put to DVD. We already have a larger, older video camera, but this one will be easier to travel with or just grab at a moment's notice when Grant does something cute! Doug has had fun playing with his new toy, and he may post a video of the nursery or something soon to test it out. We can't wait to document all the wonderful memories for Grant!

32 Weeks

I am now 32 weeks along! I can't believe there are now less than 8 weeks to go. I know it seems like time is going slow for us sometimes, but I'm sure these next few weeks will really fly by.

We've had a fun and busy week. On Monday, Grant got to attend his first Opening Day parade. We can't wait to take him to a game this summer. Hopefully the Reds won't be completely out of the race by the time he is born. On Tuesday, we celebrated our niece Clara's first birthday. That year went really fast, and made us realize even more how much we need to cherish every moment we have with our baby since time really does fly! She had a great time digging into her cake and opening her presents. She got a nice big wagon from my parents with an extra seat in there for Grant. I spent the rest of the week putting away shower gifts and washing his clothes, blankets, etc. I also got us registered with the pediatrician's office. And we officially joined St. Antoninus parish this week too--the same church/school that Doug attended growing up. We go there for church all the time since it is right up the street, and we wanted to become members before Grant was born. We will also schedule a baptism date sometime soon as well.

Today was our 32-week doctor appointment. Everything is still great! The doctor felt for the baby's head and found it facing down--right where is should be around this point--so he can be ready to descend when it's time to be born! He should stay in this position, which explains why his movements have been in pretty much the same place lately. I feel his feet up in my rib cage on my right side all the time.

This weekend we will be celebrating Doug's 30th birthday. While this may sound depressing to him now, hopefully this will be the best year for him! We will also be celebrating his sister Kristen's birthday and the baptism of our nephew Timmy. I am so honored to be his godmother, and we can't wait for the 2 little cousins to meet!

Happy Easter!

Well, technically it is the morning after Easter, but this weekend was so busy, that we didn't have one free moment to get on the computer! I am now 31 1/2 weeks. Grant is about 16 inches long and about 3 1/2 pounds. I've been feeling more stretching and growing this last week, so he must be having a growth spurt. He is still moving like crazy, and we often see him poking out or making my belly move in waves. It is so fun to watch and feel, and I know that I will really miss that feeling when he comes out.

I had my first shower on Saturday. Grant's Aunt Susanne and Aunt Tammy, along with help from his Grandma Gates and many other relatives, threw me quite the party. They did so much to make it special for us. Both sides of my family, Doug's family, and some friends were there--all to spoil our little guy! It is so nice to have all the support we do from so many people close to us. I really hope Grant enjoys being part of such a big, fun family! We got so much stuff, that we still have piles of gifts in the living room waiting to be put away and organized. Luckily, I am off work all this week for spring break, so I will really have fun going through it all. Doug will also have lots of fun putting many of the gifts together. Thank you so much to everyone!

The nursery is really coming together now. We finished hanging everything on the walls, started organizing the toys and books on the shelves, and we have washed a few loads of the clothes that we have so far. We sorted them by size and put the ones we will be using right away in the draws and closet. I love going in there and just looking at the cute outfits all hanging there. Doug's favorite outfit so far, besides all the Notre Dame apparel obviously, is a tiny Michael Jordan jersey/onesie that we found, since he is Doug's favorite athlete. Grant is going to be one well-dressed little boy.

We had a great Easter celebrating with our families, and we can't wait to have the Easter Bunny visit our house next year with a little basket for Grant. We also envisioned him taking part in the Easter egg hunt with all the other little ones. We can't wait!

We will hopefully have more pictures to post next time of the nursery/shower/my belly/etc. Just under 2 months to go!

30 Weeks!

Wow--30 weeks! Now it's really starting to sound closer! I am feeling great, but I am definitely starting to notice some of the first trimester symptoms come back now that I am in my 3rd trimester. I have more fatigue, more heartburn, and my feet and back hurt more at the end of the work day. I am trying to find more creative ways to teach without standing up all day long!

We had our 30-week appointment today. Grant's heartbeat and measurements are still normal. I am still having the Braxton Hicks contractions, and I have to keep my eye on them to make sure there is no change or added pain. Luckily, the doctor checked and I am not dilated or anything, so it really isn't a concern right now. They will check in about it again in 2 weeks and see if there is anything else we need to check. But for now, I am just loving and enjoying every step of this pregnancy and trying to step back and make sure I never forget being pregnant for the first time. Doug and I are also making sure that we take advantage of all the time we have together now, before we become a family of 3!

29 Weeks

We are past 29 weeks now. I passed my glucose test, which is great, so now I don't have to go back for a 3-hour test that could diagnose gestational diabetes. That is a big relief. I also had my 8-week thyroid blood test this week. For those of you who don't know, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism after my miscarriage in November of 2008. I continued to work with my doctor to regulate it with medicine. It took awhile after that to get it regulated. They now have to check it every 6-8 weeks while I'm pregnant to make sure I don't need to change the dose of my medicine, which is very safe to take and won't hurt the baby. My doctor says some women even take this medicine only when they are pregnant, because the baby can take more of the hormone and it may need to be regulated. I, unfortunately, may need to be on it forever, but if that is all it takes to be healthy, I am fine with that. I've only had to up the dose once, in the first trimester, and it has been good ever since.

Doug also got to practice changing a diaper this week--only this time on a boy. He has changed our niece Clara--or at least has watched her be changed, but we knew he needed to try it on a male baby to prepare for Grant! While with our new nephew Timmy, we all thought it would be a good idea for Doug to practice changing a boy, and luckily Kristen and Andy didn't mind Doug using their child for practice. Luckily, he did very well changing him, and Timmy was nice enough not to spray him during the process!

Grant is kicking up a storm this week, and I now seem to notice when he has the hiccups. Grandma Gates, Aunt Susanne, and Aunt Tammy have all been able to feel him move so far, so they are excited about that. A few other people have tried, but Grant doesn't always cooperate. I am also having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions this week--or at least that is what it seems to be based on what I read. There is no pain, but I just feel my belly tighten and harden for a little bit, then it relaxes. You can even see it rise and tighten, and it feels hard as a rock! A few evenings last week it happened on and off all night. This can apparently be normal to feel after 20 weeks, and it shouldn't be any problem as long as there is no pain. I plan to talk to my doctor about it at our 30-week appointment this Friday just to make sure, though. Just another fun, new experience of pregnancy!

Diapers

So this week, Julie and I went to a child care and safety class at Good Sam. Among other things, we learned about swaddling the baby, car seats, and of course, changing diapers. Now, I have had an infant goddaughter for almost a year now, and through use of trickery and cunning, I have managed to escape changing only one diaper the entire time. Needless to say, it is time to really learn. So, that's what I did. We got to practice a number of times on a remarkably creepy looking doll, and I must say, I am now a diaper changing rock star. I also learned to swaddle the baby, and some other interesting and useful tidbits. It's less than 12 weeks until Grant gets here, so it's good that I am finally learning to do this stuff.

Also, Julie went to the doctor again on Friday for her normal checkup, and everything was great there as usual. In addition, she had her glucose test on Friday. We haven't heard back yet, but we are confident everything will turn out alright. From now on, Julie will have to go to the doctor every two weeks until 36 weeks, and then she will have to go every week from there on out. This is normal procedure, and they just like to see you more often as the baby gets closer.

We can't wait!

27 Weeks!

We've had a very fun week! As Doug said, we had our carpet installed, our furniture picked up and assembled, and many of the accessories put in the room. We have had such a great time getting the nursery together. I can't stop going in there, and many times, I just sit in the glider and think about rocking Grant someday. It looks like we are done with the room, but of course we still need many more things to complete it and fill up the drawers. But at least it looks good from the outside so far!

We also had our breastfeeding class this week. It was very informative, and with every step like this that we take, we realize we are one step closer to becoming parents. While at this class, I was feeling the baby move and kick a lot. I looked down at some point and could actually see my belly jump out and move! I nudged Doug and told him to watch, and sure enough it happened again. It was a such a neat thing, and I realized that the best part about being pregnant is reaching these new, exciting milestones. There is always something different to look forward to each week--there is never a dull moment!

At 27 weeks, our baby weighs about 2 pounds and is almost 15 inches long. He will continue to grow so much more at a quicker rate the next few weeks. As we start the 28th week, we are so excited to be entering the 3rd trimester. It won't be much longer now!

English Hothouse Cucumber

So we were reading one of our baby books the other day, and it was telling us how big Grant is right now. Usually, they compare the size of the baby to something that people will recognize, like a golf ball, apple, etc. This week, they decided that the baby is now the size of an English Hothouse Cucumber. Eh? Does anyone know what the heck an English Hothouse Cucumber is? Does anyone know if such a cucumber is larger or smaller than a regular cucumber? Of all the things in the world they could have used to describe the size of the baby, they landed on this one. Geesh.

All cucumbers aside, we got the new carpet installed yesterday, and we picked up the baby furniture! I put the crib together last night, and everything is looking amazing in the room. I am sure Julie will have some pictures in a post later today or tomorrow. I spent a while just standing in the room by myself and smiling last night before bed...we can't wait for Grant to get here!

26 Weeks

No picture this week--we have been so busy. But we are so happy that there are now less than 100 days to go until my due date! Our little guy has been so active lately. Although sometimes he keeps me awake when I should be sleeping, I wouldn't trade it for anything. It is so peaceful in the middle of the night just putting my hand on my belly to feel him. With all the noise and commotion I encounter during the day with my students, the quiet middle of the night is becoming my favorite time of day!

We have another busy week planned. Our bedroom carpet will finally be installed on Wednesday morning. Our furniture has come in, so we will go pick it up Wednesday night and hopefully get it in the room! I will post pictures as soon as we get it all set up. Only 3 months to go!

One last bit of news--we have finally settled on a name. Our son will be named Grant. We have practiced calling him so many different names over the last few months, and we always come back to that one. It meets all the criteria we had for picking a name, and we just love it. We are still debating middle names, and have a few ideas, but we aren't sure yet. We bought some letters to put his name over his crib, so I guess there is no turning back now! I can't imagine that we will change our minds, but you never know!

25 Weeks

We just got back from spending the day at Good Samaritan Hospital for our all-day childbirth class. It was fun to be around a whole room full of pregnant women and get to learn more about the whole process. Luckily, Doug didn't pass out or get queasy at any of the videos or demonstrations. It was very informative, and we also got a tour of the hospital. Since we were just there last Saturday, though, for the birth of our nephew, that wasn't as new for us, but still fun nonetheless. The whole day just made things so real for us, and we are even more excited now for the birth! We are taking a few other classes in the next few weeks as well--one for breastfeeding and one on infant care and safety. I will report on those later!

The picture below really makes me look like I am popping out--which I am, but I think the shirt also has something to do with the way I look. It is thick and has a line of buttons popping out in the front, so it's a little deceiving. I love seeing and feeling my growing belly, and we are both still enjoying feeling the little guy move all the time. It never gets old!

Our New Nephew!

We have some exciting news to share! Doug's sister Kristen went into labor yesterday morning--11 days early, so quite a shock to us. She had a long day without much progression, so the doctor decided a c-section was best. This happened right after midnight, making him a Valentine's Day baby! Timothy Thomas Beardslee was born at 12:29 am. He weighs 8 lbs, 12 oz. He is 22 in. long. He is just perfect, and Kristen is doing great as well! We are so excited to have a nephew and a little buddy for our son. We hope they will be very close! We enjoyed spending time at Good Samaritan Hospital, where we will also be delivering. It just made us so excited for what's to come in just a few months!

24 Weeks

Well, we've had another busy week. We've been out of the house all week staying with my parents while our floors are being refinished. The old carpet has been pulled up in the living room, dining room, and hallway, and the hardwood floors underneath were sanded down and stained. They had to come back 3 days in a row for another coat of polyurethane each day, so we couldn't walk on it, and they just finished the last coat this morning. We will be free to go back to the house tomorrow since it will all be dry by then. I did check with the doctor to make sure I can go back this soon as well--we were worried about the fumes, but he assured us it will be fine. So we will spend the rest of the weekend moving our stuff back in its place. Next, the flooring company will return in the next few weeks to take the carpet out of the bedrooms and install new carpet. Then we will finally be ready to get the nursery set up!

That brings us to the next step in the process. We went to Babies R Us tonight to order our furniture that we had picked out weeks ago. We didn't want to order it too soon before the flooring was finished since it will only be 7-14 days for it to come in. So now it will be perfect timing for us to pick it up as the carpet is being finished! I have attached a picture of the furniture below. It of course looks way better in person--the picture doesn't do it justice, and the picture shows a different bedding with it. We also bought a very comfortable glider/ottoman that we were able to bring right home from the store with us tonight since they had a few already in stock, so I'm sure I will start using that immediately as soon as we can put it together. It is so comfortable! We got the mattress and changing pad as well. Luckily, we had plenty of coupons, and the salespeople helped us figure out how to use them in the right transactions to get the most money off of everything. We ended up spending less than we thought!

We also went to the doctor today for our 24-week visit. It was just a typical visit this time with a belly check and a chance to hear the heartbeat again. Once again, everything was great! We just can't get enough of hearing that amazing little heartbeat! My weight gain and blood pressure are normal. My belly growth was at 24 cm, and it is supposed to grow about a cm for every week, so we are right on target since I am 24 weeks. We will go again in 4 weeks, and this is the visit where I have to do the glucose test, so I better watch my diet. In the meantime, we are enjoying feeling our son move around so much--he has developed quite a routine. He is most active at night as I am trying to fall asleep, or in the morning before I get out of bed. I'm sure he is just preparing us for when he is really here!

I felt that one!

Now THAT was cool! Last night, Julie felt the little guy moving around during his evening workout, so I put my hand on her stomach to see if I could feel anything. After a few frustrating minutes, BOOM! He did a big roundhouse kick right underneath my palm. It was so exciting! Only 4 months to go, and we can't wait to meet him!

22 Weeks and Counting...

Wooo hoooo! As you can see, the belly is really starting to pop out now. We are officially at 22 weeks, and we are fast approaching 23. The really fun part is that Julie is starting to feel the baby moving a lot more lately. I keep trying to feel it too, but I suppose it is a bit early. That doesn't keep me from trying though. Also, we are starting to assemble what I am sure will be a hysterically huge wardrobe of Notre Dame apparel. In the picture below, we have a little onesie and bib. The outfit came with booties and socks also, and I am sure he will look quite handsome in it. This is added to the shirt that Uncle Kyle got him for Christmas. As I said, I am sure these are just the first of what I hope will be a TON of ND stuff!

Also, we are working on narrowing down a name for our little guy. We have a list of five names that we have agreed on so far, and you can see them in the poll on the left side. Take a look and vote for the one you like. Of course, we already have a favorite in mind, but thought it would be fun to see what other people thought. So vote away, because we need to come up with a better alternative to calling him D'Brickashaw (Julie's favorite nickname for him since seeing a player with this name during the Bengals/Jets game).

21 Weeks

I know I am a little late with this post, considering I will be 22 weeks in a few days, but it has been a crazy week. We have had a lot of fun planning for our little boy. We spent some time working on our registries at Babies R Us and Target and buying things for the nursery, like the bedding and decor. We had so much fun thinking about using all these things with our little buddy! We also have scheduled to get new carpet in the bedrooms and refinish our hardwood floors that are currently under our carpet in the main rooms. We just want everything to be fresh and new for the baby. Then we can order the nursery furniture we have picked out! We didn't even get around to taking a picture of my baby bump this weekend, but it hasn't changed much since the last one, so we will just take one at 22 weeks. We are still debating names, and have it down to about 5 or 6 that we agree on--which is pretty good if you ask me! Maybe sometime soon we will have a poll about that for you to vote for your favorite. In the meantime, we are enjoying getting to talk and sing to our son and learn more about him!

The pictures attached show some of the items that go with the theme of the room that we picked out. It surprised us both that we liked this--we both had other ideas originally in our minds, like a sports theme, etc. But once we saw it in person, we knew it was the one--it looked so much better than it had online. We wanted something with rich colors and one that would go with the light blue color already on the wall so we didn't have to paint! We are so excited to get the room set up!

Baby Boy Docter

My first thought upon hearing that we would have a son was, "What color suit should he wear for his 2030 Heisman Trophy acceptance speech?" Of course, this should be the first thought of any responsible and caring father. All joking aside, we are so happy the baby is healthy and growing as he should, and we can't wait to meet our son! Take a look at the pictures below...only a little over 4 months until the big day!

It's a boy!

We just got back from the doctor. Everything looked great and healthy, and luckily our little guy cooperated and we were able to see who he was! It of course didn't matter to us what we have, as long as the baby is healthy, but we are so excited to finally know! It is so nice to be able to say he, him, or his instead of it or baby all the time. Now we just have to decide on his name! Doug posted some of the ultrasound pictures above. The first is of a foot, the second is showing off the boy parts (he is going to love us for doing that someday!), the 3rd is of the fist, and the last is my favorite--the profile shot. It is all so amazing to see. We got to see certain bones, arteries, the heart, and many other parts of our little boy. I have never experienced something so wonderful and miraculous!

Halfway There!

I am 20 weeks today--which marks the halfway point in the pregnancy! We are so excited to be entering the 2nd half. It will now seem closer and closer. As Doug said in the last post, we go to the doctor on Tuesday to find out what our baby is. We can't wait! I am feeling great, and am really starting to pop. I absolutely love being pregnant. Be sure to check back Tuesday night to see if your vote was correct on the poll!

What will it be?

Alright everyone...only 6 days until we find out whether the bedroom down the hall will be filled with butterflies and flowers, or footballs, baseballs, and assorted Notre Dame football memorabilia. My mom is convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the baby is a girl. I also find myself constantly thinking it is a girl. I don't know why...just a feeling. However, I must admit (in the interest of full disclosure) that I am seldom right about pretty much anything. Ask Julie...she'll corroborate my story. Anyway, regardless of what gender the baby may be, we are both thrilled and are counting the seconds until we get to start planning the nursery! More to come soon!

19 Weeks

Although you can't tell much in this picture, we are really starting to notice more belly growth. After 2 weeks off of work, I went back this week only to realize that I hardly had any dress pants left that still fit. I had to run out and buy a few things, and was lucky enough to be able to borrow lots of maternity clothes from my cousins. I am also still feeling the little flutters, but they seem to be getting more prominent now, so I know it's the baby! I am excited to be entering the 20th week now. Almost half way there!

Happy 2010!

Happy New Year! As of New Year's Eve I am 18 weeks along. We are so excited to be entering our baby's birth year. It seems like such a good year to have a baby. It will always be easy to remember how old he/she is turning each year with a birth year of 2010! I know this year will be wonderful for us and one that we will never forget. We would like to wish the same to all of you!

18th Week Doctor Visit

We went to the doctor today for our 18th week visit. (I will be 18 weeks tomorrow, but they are closed for the holiday!) We got to hear the amazing little heartbeat again, and everything sounded great. When the doppler device was put on my stomach, we started hearing the heartbeat immediately, but then it went away. The baby must have been trying to hide from us or something, because it took us a little while to find it again! The doctor felt for my belly growth and said it is right where it should be or maybe a little farther. That is good news, because I was worried it wasn't growing enough since I'm not showing much yet!

The bad news is that we have to wait a little longer to find out the sex. We thought we would go back at 20 weeks for the ultrasound, but the doctor wants to do it closer to 22 weeks so that they can see all they want to see. We scheduled it for Monday, January 25. I will be about 21 1/2 weeks along at that point. It will be hard to wait longer than we thought, but it will be worth the wait!

Feeling the baby?

Most things I read or hear say that first time moms don't usually notice the baby move until about 18-20 weeks since they don't know what it feels like, but I think I've been feeling little flutters! All this week, I've had some weird feelings inside, and because most first time moms don't always know whether or not it's the baby or just some indigestion or something, I haven't been sure. But I seem to notice it at least once a day, so I'm convinced that it is our tiny little one moving around in there! It is exciting to be entering a new, fun stage of pregnancy, where it can actually seem more real all the time. Daddy is a little disappointed that it will be awhile before he feels it, but he is still excited to know that it's happening for me. I will let you know when it becomes more obvious to me, and that I know for sure it is in fact the baby.

Well, I'm off to try and find something I want to eat for dinner. It's hard to find things that I SHOULD be eating that I actually want to eat. I'd rather just stick to my cravings: sour/gummy candy, mustard, pizza, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or chicken biscuits from Chick-fil-A. But since I am recovering from eating way too much these last few days, and we still have another week of parties, I better find something healthy.

Merry Christmas!

We've had a great Christmas so far. It's technically the baby's 1st Christmas, and Uncle Kyle got the baby an outfit to wear next year. We can't wait for the baby to be a part of Christmas next year!

Video

Hey everyone! I don't have too much to add to Julie's post, but I thought I would mention some videos that we watched that I found very interesting. As the Dad-to-be, I found myself having a harder time visualizing the baby and really being able to put an image with the idea of becoming a dad. Julie found the videos linked on the left side of the page (BabyCenter.com), and they really helped me picture the whole process more effectively. To put it simply, the whole process became more real to me after being able to visualize what is happening along the way. Take a look...they are only a couple minutes each. But like I said, they are very interesting. More to come soon, and Merry Christmas!

Catching you up to date

Here is what has happened so far:

We found out we were pregnant on September 23, 2009. I was 4 weeks pregnant at the time. I took a test in the morning after Doug had already left for work. So I had to carry the news with me at work all day! I put a note out with the test so that he would see it as soon as he walked in the door that day after work. He was so surprised! We were so excited, especially since it was such a long road to get here.

We had our first doctor's appointment on October 2. We then went back on October 16 for our first ultrasound. I was 7 weeks along. We also got to hear the hearbeat and see the little heart flutter on the screen. It was amazing!

Due to the H1N1 scare, I had to take 4 1/2 days off from work in late October as our school battled high absences due to the flu/high fevers/etc. We felt it was safest to stay away for awhile. I was able to get the seasonal flu vaccine, as well as the H1N1 vaccine by early November.

We went to the doctor again on November 13 and got to hear the heartbeat again, this time through the doppler device. It sounded so strong and healthy! I was in my 12th week at this point.

I sent Doug out for my first craving at 13 weeks on November 24--Taco Bell! There were some days where just nothing sounded good to eat. During this time, I was also waking up a lot in the middle of the night feeling sick or hungry, but luckily I never threw up. I had some days of queasiness and extreme fatigue, but it is all worth it!

We had our 14th week doctor visit on December 4. We heard the heartbeat again using the doppler. Everything still looked great!

I am now 17 weeks. We are just starting to feel some changes and growth to the belly, but not much can really be seen yet. My pants are getting tight, and I have found that it is just easier and more comfortable to wear maternity jeans. I hope to start showing a little more soon, but I know it generally takes longer to pop out with your first baby. Stay tuned for pictures of the growing belly bump! We will also be finding out if our little one is a boy or a girl in about 3 weeks. We will let you know right away! Thanks for checking out our website, and please check back often, especially as the big day approaches!