There's a bun in the oven!

We are more than excited to announce that a baby Barnes is on the way! As, I become closer and closer towards the end of the first trimester (with no issues!) I'm starting to get more and more attached to the idea that we're actually going to have a baby. We're still cautious about the pregnancy and are being realistic in knowing what could happen, but we're also thankful for the blessing that we have and hopeful that we'll both be given a very nice Christmas present this year. Our estimated due date is January 2, 2010 - a New Year's bundle of joy! Today I am 11 weeks, 2 days. We have been to a few prenatal appointments and baby Barnes has even made his/her first video/photo appearance in an ultrasound already! Everything looks great so far, and we're hopeful that it will remain that way.

We've heard the baby's heartbeat twice now at the doctors and it was the sweetest sound. I wasn't getting my hopes up during our sonogram, and was hoping that maybe we'd get to see the baby's heart beat, but I didn't expect to hear it, too! However, as soon as the technician put the ultrasound machine up to my stomach, you could instantly hear that strong heart beating a lovely: "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" sound - it was so strong that I thought it was my heart, at first! It was the most incredible thing for us to experience to date - realizing that we created this human being that already has a perfect sounding heart thumping away in there, eventhough its still only weeks old in the womb! Hearing that sound was absolutely music to my ears and I cannot get enough of it!

Both times that we've heard the heart beat, the heart rate was at 172/min - which is considered strong! The old wives tale suggests that a baby's heart rate of 140/min or above indicates that you're carrying a girl, and 139/min or below indicates a boy. We'll just have to wait and see on that one. Andy has talked me into waiting on finding out the baby's gender until we deliver... it's going to be a loooong wait! Although, as much as I'm dying to find out whether I have a son or daughter in my belly, I'm starting to agree that it might be kind of fun to wait it out!