22 weeks and counting....

Today marks 22 weeks, which means we are officially 5 months pregnant.... which also means "only" 18 weeks or 4 more months to go! I really feel like this second half of the pregnancy is going to fly by. I was so anxious to make my way to the half way point and now that it has come and gone, it doesn't feel like I have been focusing on the time as much. I'm loving being pregnant, but also just cannot wait to meet our little one. I'm also dying to know whether I have a son or daughter in my belly. I'm still thinking "boy"- but we'll see. When I woke up this morning, I read on one of my baby info emails that our baby is now about the size of a papaya!! This stunned me because it just so happened that I just purchased a papaya this week (I'm on a smoothie making kick!) and that papaya was huge!! Other books/emails have some varying info about the size of baby right now, but generally, the baby is about 11 inches long and almost weighs a pound. The baby is now starting to look just like a miniature newborn! He/she seems to be acting more and more like a newborn, too, in the respect that I can feel him/her squirming around in there quite a bit - and feeling those little pokes have proven to be one of the most incredible things I have ever experienced in life so far. I just melt when I feel our little one's random little kicks and punches. They're even getting strong enough now where Andy is beginning to feel them, which makes me really happy! I think it's still light for him, but there have a been a couple of times where he has agreed to have felt something in there. I actually think that I can tell that the baby has switched positions inside. As of 2 weeks ago during our ultrasound, the baby seemed to be mostly over on the left side of my stomach, and I was feeling movement down really low or over to the right. Then a few days passed where the movements were suddenly not as strong, and I think this is when the baby must have been "en route" to his/her new destination. Now, if I lie down on my back, I can feel that my stomach is a bit harder on the right (making me think the baby's head is there) and I'm feeling the strongest "pokes" on my left side (feet?) and lighter "pokes" in my center (hands?) - it's so fun for me to try and imagine how our child is positioned in there and just what in the world he/she is doing to entertain him/herself to pass all of that time in there!

My mom and Uncle Tom have still been here visiting this past week and (in between pawn shop visits, and trips to "Chick-Fli-A" and "Dairy Queen" - dangerous heavenly treats we don't have in NY!), with their help, we've accomplished a TON of odds and end projects around the house. I could not be more relieved to cross these things off of our "list" and couldn't have done it without their help! To name just a few -

We hung the curtains in the baby's nursery:

Uncle Tom hanging the curtains.

(Mom managing the dogs' "help" in the project)

My uncle Tom built us a shelf above our refrigerator so I could store my cookbooks up there -

(I think it's funny how much this thrills me!)

We installed a wall-sized shoe rack in our master closet, touched up some walls with paint, the list really goes on, but I'll spare all of you readers of mine! :)

We also made it to the beach today! Delaney wanted to show her friends, Abby and Zoey, where *her* "swimming pool" is here at her new home. They all had a ball and are now sound asleep and exhausted.

Delaney catching some rays.

22 week shadow in the sand.

Some other pictures from the week.....

Night out on South Padre Island for dinner.

Uncle Tom sharing his seat with a scared Delaney during a little rain storm (she's not usually allowed on the furniture... only when she's too scared to be on the floor alone).

**A special message from "the girls"**

"We can't wait to meet you, baby!"

21 weeks and counting....

Yesterday marked 21 weeks! We are officially on our way "downhill" after passing over the halfway hump last week - we now have 19 weeks left to go! This past week was filled with one of the most unbelievable and absolutely amazing moments that either Andy or myself have ever experienced - our 20 week ultrasound was so incredible to witness and we just can't get enough of watching the little video clip and viewing the photos we received of our baby. Andy has called me up a few times from work this week to mention that he just viewed the video once again. It's so fun to have at least a little glimpse inside to see who exactly is in there!

I started feeling the baby move its little flutters from about week 17-20, and by now at week 21 - whew! I can feel those movements even more! I'm sure they're bound to just keep getting stronger and I'm very excited for that. By this point, I'm definitely feeling those kicks/punches that I've been longing to feel and it feels wonderful! I even think I can tell the difference between a kick and a punch, but that might just have to do with knowing how the baby was last laying during our ultrasound 5 days ago. The baby's movements are so strong that some times when he/she moves, I'll jump and react with an "Oh my!" :) I think Andy is SO close to feeling the baby move, but he hasn't had any luck with that yet. Yesterday, he and I drove up to San Antonio for the day and I was determined to make him feel the baby while we were riding in the car for such a long while - the baby seemed to the be the most active though during the most inopportune times while we were in a store or sitting at dinner, and it wasn't always convenient to grab Andy's hand and shove it into my tummy area - he will feel the baby soon though - I am SURE of it!

Yesterday, as I said, we drove up to San Antonio. My mom and uncle are still in town, but they stayed down at our house and watched the 3 dogs for us. We had a really great day there - though it was very LONG and tiresome (San Antonio is about a 4 hour drive from here, so to drive there, shop/dine, walk around, drive back..... it was a long day!) We headed out in the morning and our main purpose for going there was to hit up our beloved Pottery Barn (I am still hoping and praying that one opens up in the valley area while we're living here!). We are in need of purchasing a desk for our home office and we both really liked one from Pottery Barn, but wanted to see it first - so off we went. I think we spent 3 hours in the store and I think we also got a little taste of "spend it while you can before baby arrives" syndrome, because we ended up leaving with a desk set AND living room coffee table set w/coffee table, console, and 2 end tables! I guess this is what happens when you no longer live near one of these stores to make frequent purchases from here and there - instead you visit once in a while and completely splurge! We don't have all of the pieces yet, but once we have everything set up, I'll post pictures on here to share - we're really excited about all that we purchased! Our next stop was Pottery Barn Kids to try and make our final decision on nursery furniture - and from there we were even more confused than when we started! So, we have some thinking to do on all of that. After our shopping spree we headed down to the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio - Oh my

goodness - it was UNBELIEVABLE! I have never been before, and therefore didn't know what to expect, but just imagine a sort of "underground city" below the main city that runs right along the "river" (which is really like a small canal) and is lined on both sides with restaurant after restaurant. Very unique!! We had a nice dinner for two at an Italian restaurant and were really trying to savor the night out and away from our normal routine as we realized that this may be one of the last times we have a chance to do something like this before our outing for 2 becomes an outing for 3. We also made a quick stop by the Alamo for a picture, but will need to go back there to explore more. We were quickly getting tired and VERY hot, so we decided to head home. It was a really great day and we can't wait to return with the little one sometime (maybe when the weather is cooler than is is right now in mid August!)

Carride to San Antonio.

Andy completely starving, famished, and dying to go find a restaurant, but still complying with my photo opp request!

Boats along the Riverwalk.

Dinner for two (minus the one hidden) on the Riverwalk.

20 Week Ultrasound - A Perfect Success!

WE ARE IN LOVE with our little one!!!!!! Wow - what an amazing experience! Baby is doing fantastic and I just still cannot get over how wild it is that there is a growing/living tiny human in my stomach right now! We could see the baby's profile and chest, its brain and heart, and their little limbs - his/her legs were dangling/dancing all around and baby's hands were moving in front of his/her face. Andy asked the ultrasound tech if the baby was moving or if it was just a reaction to the ultrasound probe, and the tech said that it was completely the baby moving and she was just trying to keep up with how he/she was dancing around. Everything measured perfectly, baby's growth is right on target, and we couldn't be happier!! The baby's heart rate has dropped down from 152 last time, to 136 this time (this makes me think even more that we might be carrying a boy... based on the heart rate under 140 wives tale). We have a few photos that they gave us!

Here is a profile shot of our precious little one:

Foot and hand (..... so cute!!):

And, this one, we're still trying to figure out a little - the tech said the baby is "face up" here, which I think means the baby is facing straight into the camera. And, the part in the back/side of the head (that looks like a "duck beak!" ... but an adorable little "duck beak" that we love) is the baby's elbow or hand, or some other body part:

I was so jealous of Andy because when we first went into the ultrasound room, I laid down on the chair and the monitor with the ultrasound image was totally out of sight for me. I asked the tech if we could tilt the monitor and she said she'd do all of the measurements/work up that she needed first and then we could play around with the images more and view our little darling together so I could see. So for the first half of our time in the ultrasound I had only Andy's expression to watch as he got to see what the tech was seeing. Of course, he had little idea what he was looking at, but I still was dying to see whatever it was that he was seeing, for myself. Then once the tech was done taking measurements and checking on everything, we got to view our little one dancing around for a while and it was just so completely incredible!! My mom (being in town visiting) was then able to come in and join us to see the baby for a little while, too! Then, the ultrasound tech said she could show us the image in 3D/4D, which I totally was not expecting to get to see!!! I was thrilled! Andy took a video of the 2D and 3D/4D ultrasound - we can't get enough of it! On the second part of the 3D/4D one, it looks like the baby is smiling at us! What do you think?! :)

Here it is:

We just feel so lucky to have been blessed with this pregnancy and the unbelievable things that come along with it and are taking place inside of me right now. The miracle of conception/birth has always, always amazed and intrigued me beyond belief, but only now can I truly understand the intensity of just how miraculous the whole process really is. We could not be more excited to make it through these next 19.5 weeks until we get to meet this little "dream" in person!

20 Weeks - We're half way there!

Today we're 20 weeks (or 4.5 months) pregnant, and that sure feels good! I love being half way in our pregnancy, along with loving being in the "twenties" (as far as weeks go), and right along with loving being able to wake up each morning to glance in the mirror and see my growing belly that is now home to baby. The baby's movements are becoming more and more frequent, and a little bit stronger. Last night we were sitting at the car dealers (we're buying a new car!) and I could feel the baby kicking its tiny "goldfish wiggle" kicks and we kept putting Andy's hands on the area of my stomach to see if he could feel anything. I know it's WAY too super early for him to feel something (maybe in a few weeks?), but I just thought, ya never know! Something kind of neat to me about getting to this point in the pregnancy is that, in regards to measuring the approximate length of the baby, the measurements are no longer taken from "crown to rump" and instead are now measuring from "head to heel." This is because prior to this point in pregnancy, the baby's legs are curled up so tight against his/her torso that they're hard to measure, but now the baby can be measured from head to toe. :) So from "head to heel," our little one is now about 10 inches long! (About the size of a banana. Another book compared the baby to the size of a cantaloupe!) And, the baby should weigh about 9-10.5 ounces now..... but we'll hopefully be finding out a more exact count on these stats in just a couple of days at our ultrasound on Tuesday afternoon! Tonight we're heading out to dinner to "celebrate" our 20 week milestone and we're both looking forward to that. The next few days are sure to come with much anticipation, as well, as we embark upon this second half of pregnancy, and look forward to seeing our little one "live in 2D" on Tuesday - and to top that off, we're expecting the arrival of my mom and my Uncle Tom (along with Delaney's 2 best buds, Abby and Zoey) sometime around Tuesday. They'll be staying for a couple of weeks and we couldn't be more excited to have visitors!

Just a little something, in addition, that I wanted to add is a link to a website that shows the week by week growth of what actually takes place inside as the baby grows (and my organs become more squished!) - a friend passed this along (thanks Erin!!) and I have loved looking at the week to week progress as we hit each week's milestone. Just click on the link below to view it!

Baby Growth Link

19 weeks and counting....

Today we're 19 weeks pregnant! One more week and we'll have made it half way through this journey! When I logged onto my blog page today I was giddy with excitement over the change in our little one being tracked on our "baby countdown ticker" because it looks like the baby has made so much progress all of a sudden - there's a little human in my belly!! :) I've started feeling the baby move here and there over the past week or two. It's still REALLY light and it isn't very consistent yet, but I am starting to be able to determine the baby vs. other things going on in there, and the baby's movements seem to be getting a tad bit stronger with each day that passes. The baby's "crown to rump" length is now about 6 inches (think 6 in Subway sub!) and he/she weighs about 7 ounces. The baby's weight will increase more than 15 times between now and delivery - wild! As that baby is growing, so is my belly! I think I look obviously pregnant now, and my stomach has become quite the nice resting spot for my hands. Along with my growing belly comes my growing pile of laundry. I've started to realize that I need to move a bit differently over the counter/sink while I'm preparing dinner and washing dishes because my shirts seem to be a magnet for things involved there. After I cook, I literally have to look down and see if I have left any traces on my clothes! :) Maybe it's time to invest in an apron, huh? Also, recently I think I've had a "2nd shadow" more than ever before. That "2nd shadow" being Delaney, of course. She seems to be following me around a bunch more - if I go into the other room for something, she's sure to come creeping in to see what I'm doing - it makes me happy. We can't wait to see her as a big sister - I think she's going to do an amazing job.

18 week prenatal appointmet

Just got back from our prenatal appointment and all is fantastic! My OB said my weight gain is right on track, as well as the growth of my belly at this point. He confirmed that our quad screen tests, did in fact, come back as "normal." And, along with all of that great news, the baby's heart is still ticking away. Apparently, our little one was squirming all over the place because the nurse could only get a solid heartbeat for short segments at a time. Each time she prodded my stomach with the fetal monitor our little guy/gal kept dodging away from the scope. Whenever she did manage to keep the heartrate for a long enough amount of time, it was measuring at 152 bpm - nice and strong! I couldn't help but imagine that our child is going to have my independent, "I don't wanna," attitude that I had as a kid - my mind instantly hopped back to the old home videos we have of my mom trying to grab my arm to pull me in one given direction or another and me yanking my arm away from her reach as stubbornly as I possibly could to avoid doing anything that someone else wanted me to do. That is exactly what I can imagine our little one doing inside when that fetal monitor probe was poking all around. Hopefully he or she will cooperate for us during the "big" ultrasound appointment coming up and sit still so we can get a good peek of what's happening in there! The ultrasound is scheduled for 2 weeks from today on 8/18! We can't wait!

Our 1 Year Anniversary

Yesterday we celebrated our very first wedding anniversary! I have to say, celebrating an anniversary is even more fun and special than I ever thought it would be. Just the fact that we both were celebrating this "holiday" for the first time and that it was a complete celebration of "us" and our relationship was really meaningful. All weekend long, we kept revisiting different moments from our wedding weekend last year and saying: "Right now, I would have been at my final dress fitting." Or, "right now, I was awake at 7 am because I couldn't sleep on the day of the wedding and at Wegmans buying a Fantasy Football magazine" (that was Andy's... obviously not mine.... I think at 7 am I was in total "I'm too excited to eat, drink, or blink" phase). We didn't have anything real fancy planned for the day, which was really fine by me (though, I will admit, a replay of our 2 week honeymoon in Hawaii would have been well accepted by each of us right now....). We kept our day simple, and between the wonders of experiencing a one year anniversary, we sprinkled the day with little "things that make us happy" like, knowing how much we love each other - and just recognizing the day for what it was (sounds corny, but true), breakfast in bed (.... nothing spectacular, but still fun!), feeling the little slight movements in my belly (that I just KNOW are from the baby moving right now), the purchase of a "Snoogle" from Andy (a pregnancy pillow that I am in desperate need of and can't wait for it to arrive!), dinner at home and a homemade apple pie (one of our personal favorite treats that I make), our unity candle from our wedding re-lit through the evening, and a reminiscent showing of our wedding video/photo slideshows. It really is so unbelievable to think back on our wedding day, that seemed like just months ago, and realize that a whole entire year has passed. And, along with the passing time has come a new name (for me), new address (in a totally new state and time zone!), new lifestyle, new trials of starting a family, and new hopes and expectations for the little one that is on his/her way - those are just the things on the surface; in all that we've been through in this past year, I know we can both also say that we've grown in a million different directions from the experiences that this one single year has brought us. There have been many tears, smiles, challenges and blessings that have together started us on the journey of our life together, and though I do wish certain things could have produced differently this year (with a couple of particularly BIG certain things in mind that I'll refrain from mentioning here), I really have to admit that I have no regrets on the paths we've taken and experiences we've shared. We look forward to what lies ahead for us and with much positive energy, I know our road will be a happy one to travel on. Here's to the future! :)

18 weeks and counting....

We're at 18 weeks! (That's 4.1 months pregnant!) There really isn't much new to report on - the baby has been continuing to grow this week. Now he/she should be about 5 1/2 inches long, "crown to rump," (about the size of a bell pepper or sweet potato) and weighs about 5-7 oz. I've read that the "rapid growth rate" will now begin to slow down a little bit. The baby has a very "human" appearance now, but is just still real small. Though small, he/she is trying really hard to make his/her existence known - I've read that the baby is now passing all that time in my belly yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing and soon those movements will be felt for sure. I have started feeling some very faint movements that I'm convinced is the baby, but I'm still waiting for that definite punch to celebrate for sure. That's about it that's new and exciting in the world of baby. We are looking forward to our next prenatal appointment coming up on Tuesday morning. I'm assuming our doctor will schedule our 20 week ultrasound at that point, too - which we are both SUPER excited for.

I had to include this photo of Delaney, because this week, she proved to us how she is catching on to our weekly ritual of picture taking. She followed us into the nursery room and as Andy was trying to get set to take the picture she walked right up in front of him and plopped her bottom down with a big grin for the camera. (I've trained her well, haven't I?) :)