Reflection

It's Christmas morning and I woke up too early as I have been the last 4 days. Tuesday and Wednesday I woke up at 2 am, yesterday it was 4 and today it was 5am. But my inability to get more than 5 hours of sleep isn't my point of today's blog.

As I was laying in bed contemplating if I should give up and just get up, I was thinking about where we were last year at this time. I've learned a valuable lesson in my life - don't dwell on the past, but I think it's important that you reflect on it so you can appreciate how far you have come.

Yesterday marked our 1 year anniversary of homeownership. Although to be completely accurate, Tim did own his own condo before. A week before we got the keys to our home it had snowed quite a bit and I had just told Timmy he was going to be a daddy. It was all very exciting, but stressful for us. The snow made transportation anywhere a hassel and dangerous, we were living out of boxes while our closing date kept changing because of complications with snow, and the even though the news of a baby brought excitement and joy, it also brought worry.

We got our keys on Christmas eve and started to move into our home. Because I was worried about heavy lifting, poor Tim did the majority of the work. We were both beyond exhausted, but because we had to return the U-haul on Christmas, we woke up early on Christmas morning to get the last of our belongings out of Bellevue. Needless to say there were no tree, lights, stockings, gifts, etc that year. But we had each other, a new home, Griffey and a baby on the way, so the other stuff didn't matter to us.

This Christmas is extra special for so many reasons. Not only is our brand new home a year old and already has great memories in it, we are getting to have our first 'real' Christmas in it. We have a beautiful tree with some very special ornaments, our stockings are stuffed, and we have countless cards from loved ones. We also have a precious, healthy daughter on the way.

So as I reflect on the past, I'm eternally grateful that God is faithful. Not only is this my very first home ever (as most of you know I grew up poor and on welfare and many times was homeless) we have also have a successful and relatively healthy pregnancy. I knew God would make us parents some day. We had to count on Him and His timing, and He was faithful in our pursuit of parenthood. Most important of all, God called upon the virgin Mary to do something far greater than any other person in history. To give birth to a Son who would provide our salvation if we believed. Santa may not be real (gasp! Did I just say that!? :)) But God's love and His promise to us is. This time of rejoycing, thankfulness, giving and love wouldn't exsist without the biggest Gift of all, Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

21 wks

It's (gonna be) a Girl!

Friday was such a long day! I woke up 3 times and had a hard time falling back to sleep. It was like the anticpition when you're little waiting until it's time to see what Santa brought you.

I could barely focus at work - all I could think of and what a lot of my employees asked me about was how excited I was to find out the sex of B-Mo. One employee even brought me a beautiful baby frame. Besides that I got a few other gifts. My supervisors (all four guys) bought be a beautiful bouquet of flowers which was a birthday slash Christmas gift and a gift certificate to Amazon.com - which I've already purchased the baby mobile with. I also received an angel ornament. All in all a good day - just not very productive.


Anyway, Tim picks me up from work at 330 since our appt in Bellevue is at 4. The technician spends the first 15 minutes or so doing all of the measurements. I started having a little bit of anxiety - all I want to know is the gender! But of course I realize how important all the other stuff is too. Turns out our baby has a perfect heart and everything else looks perfect and she is in the 91% percentile for her gestational age. As the tech is moving around the wand on my tummy I kept looking towards the legs to see if I can see a penis or testicals (The reason I was looking for those parts was because I knew I wouldn't recognize any girl parts.)-I know Tim was doing the same thing. In fact he thought the umbilical cord indicated we had a boy!


Finally she asks, "do you want to know the gender?" and we say yes. She instantly said, "It's a girl" She showed us the little butt cheeks (which you can see in the clip below) and in the middle was her vagina. The technician also made a crack about how her legs were wide open and we need to teach her thats not okay when she comes out. ummm... thanks?

As soon as it was announced she was a girl I said, "yay" and reached out to Tim and scratched his back. Naturally- like most daddys- he was hoping for a boy.



We head out to Marysville to go tell my mom in person. I promised she'd be the first to know. My poor sister, Breanna had been waiting on pins and needles and I had to tell she had to wait 45 minutes :) I think it was torcher for her. Traffic from Bellevue to Marysville was awful of course and Tim wasn't talking a whole lot. I think the shock from learning we're not having a boy right now to the annoyance of driving all the way to Marysville had him in a quiet spell.

I made little ornaments for my mom and Tim's parents on the way to their houses to be able to tell them the gender of B-Mo.

We gave my mom's hers and it takes a second to realize she is having another granddaughter.

It was cute when Tim's mom looked at the ornament and announced it was a girl and Tim's dad just lit up and said, "Girls are the best!" It was so sweet.

Later on, Tim said he was perfectly fine having a girl after he talked to his buddy Matt who has one daughter and another one on the way. I think man to man encouragement on how wonderful girls are is a good thing for any daddy anticipating a little girl.

Oh I should mention that 'they' put my due date back to 5/5/10. I guess it really doens't matter. Bottom line, our princess is due early May. At this point she is measuring the length of a banana.

I'll be taking the week after Christmas off and use that time to start decorating the nursery. Unfortunately, none of the nursery set we want is available in store so I'll have to order it online and wait for it to arrive. But as I mentioned above, I ordered the baby mobile in hopes it would come shortly after Christmas so at the very least I can pick up paint and supplies. Here is what it looks like:

I really wanted butterflies but I didn't want it to be over the top pink or purple frilly. I'm glad the set has green and brown. It took a while to find a girl set we like. And although I'm sad to not get the boy set we fell in love with, we have a 50/50 chance of getting it next time. :)

We can't wait to meet our Kaydriana Sheyanne in early May!

Two more days!

In two days (well less at this point) we find out if we're going to have a Lake or Kaydriana to look forward to meeting! People have been asking me if I have an inkling on the sex. I think the only reason why I'm guessing girl is because I've answered most of the questions in a book my sister sent me called, "Gender Predictor" and most of them say I'm having a girl. For example the 'tests' that predict a girl were my craving of citrus, that I eat crust and my leg hair grows slower. But wouldn't it be interesting if we have a boy and it blows all those theories out of the water?

I just received my 21 week email update and it says BMo is the size of small canteloupe and is 6.5 inches long.

I had an OB appt today and Dr. Graham says I'm doing good. I've gained 14 lbs and at this point I could start gaining a pound a week, yikes! She did say to stay away from sugars... ummm... I have about 5-7 pieces a day. I promise myself that after Christmas is over and Tim and I clean out all the chocolate, I won't indulge myself so much. After all, my goal is stay under 200 lbs!

I got to hear the heart beat again and Dr. Graham says my uterus has grown and is up to my belly button, which I figured since I started to feel little movements behind it. And speaking of movements, right when I began to write this, Bmo was moving a lot! In fact I wish Tim was here so he could feel her/him move, which I'm pretty sure he would have been able to feel.

Here is a 20 week photo from last Friday:

We have movement!!

It FINALLY happened! I can say without a doubt that I felt B-Mo moving and kicking last night. I was laying in bed flat on my back (don't worry I no longer sleep that way) praying and I felt movement. I just went to the bathroom (sorry TMI) so I was confident it wasn't gas bubbles. So I put my right hand below the right side of my belly button and there it was- a kick or punch! I was amazed! Tim was asleep down stairs and I was tempted to go wake him or call him on my phone (bedroom is on the 3rd floor and living room is on the first-its a lot of effort, ok? :) ) but I worried if I moved I wouldn't feel her/him anymore. I had the biggest smile on my face, thanked God for this moment and I'm pretty sure I fell asleep with that big grin.
Ahhh.... just thinking about it now puts a smile on my face!

And just for clarification, Tim likes to sleep with the TV on and I need silence. So he falls asleep on the couch and if he can manage the energy to come up the 28 stairs to our bedroom he will in the middle of the night :)

19 weeks

My growing belly has made it necessary to wear only maternity pants. Not even the maternity pants I bought a few months ago feel comfy anymore. I need the ones that stretch over my belly, otherwise I'm too uncomfortable.

Motherhood Maternity is running a special where you spend $75 and you get a $50 gift certificate to a restaurant. So because I was in need of more pants for work, I figured I might as well take advantage of the deal. I didn't realize until an hour after my purchases that I didn't qualify because I went to a Motherhood Maternity/Pea in the Pod store. Ugh... and of course there was , "nothing they could do for me". Pfffttt.... oh well.

After the maternity shopping, Tim and I headed to Seattle in hopes of taking a ride in a horse drawn carriage. Unfortunately, it being an unusually clear (almost sunny) Seattle day there were no rides available. So we just walked around and took in the sites and did some shopping. I'm excited to try the body pillow I picked up. We got a $10 one from Bed, Bath and Beyond. I'm not sure if there is that much of an advantage to get an expensive maternity body pillow, but for $10 it's worth a try.

We stopped by Borders books because Tim wanted a pregnancy/parenthood book he could get into. And I picked up Belly Laughs. My sister gave my Baby Laughs that I loved so I've been wanting to get Jenny McCarthy's first book. I've definitely busted out laughing a few times.

I decided it was time to finally take another belly photo. So here I am at 18W/6D:

At this point I should be feeling B-Mo moving... and I think I do sometimes, but it's still not obvious. Tim and I almost bought a fetal heart monitor thing for $20, but decided to research it's effectiveness first. The reviews go back and forth. The moms who got it liked they could hear their baby kicking and moving around, but most couldn't pick up a heart beat until the 3rd trimester. We might get it anyway and try it. Because we'll be finding out what gender B-Mo is in less than 2 weeks we have been looking at different bedding for the baby's room. Here is what we want for a boy:http://www.babysupermall.com/main/products/coc/coc7035-862.html
For a girl we think we like: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3635751

We're 100% on the boy's choice and 50% on the girls choice. Is that some indication on the gender? :)

18 Weeks

I haven't taken the time to post weekly updates the past few weeks so here is how our baby is progressing:

Week 16:
Eye sight and eyelashes are developing. Tiny bones in your fetus's ears are in place this week, making it likely that the baby can hear your voice when you're speaking (or singing in the shower)at 16 weeks pregnant. In fact, studies have found that babies who are sung to while they're in the womb recognize the same tune when it's sung to them after they are born.

Week 17:
Your baby is practicing sucking and swallowing as she gets ready for the real thing: a breast or bottle! She's about the size of your palm, weighs about five ounces, and she's developing some body fat. Your baby is almost certainly listening up by now. In fact, loud noises — the dog barking, the doorbell ringing — will actually startle your baby (and also get him or her used to such noises; for instance, fetuses who regularly hear a dog barking will become babies who sleep right through Fido's outbursts). Your baby's eyes (which have fortunately finished their migration to the front of his or her head) are making small side-to-side movements and can even perceive some light, though the eyelids are still sealed. And since practice makes perfect, your baby is sharpening his or her sucking and swallowing skills in preparation for that first (and second…and third) suckle at your breast or bottle. In fact, most of the survival reflexes that your baby will have at birth are being perfected in utero right now.

And here's some proof that your baby is truly one of a kind (as if you needed any!). Within the next week or so, the pads on your baby's fingertips and toes will become adorned with completely individual swirls and creases (aka fingerprints).


Week 18:
Your uterus, now about the size of a cantaloupe, is causing your body's center of gravity to shift, pulling the lower back forward and pushing the abdomen out. On top of all that, joint-loosening pregnancy hormones are wreaking havoc on your muscles and ligaments, adding up to one big ouch! At 18 weeks pregnant, your baby is hitting the height chart at five and a half inches long (remember, that's crown to rump) and weighs about five ounces (the weight of that boneless chicken breast you're making for dinner).

And now for the skill of the week (drum roll please…): The art of the yawn has been mastered by your baby (someone's sleepy!). In fact, you might catch a glimpse of that adorable yawn if you're getting an ultrasound this month. You'll also catch a glimpse of all the fetal movement your baby's doing — twists, rolls, kicks, and punches. And would you believe your baby is finally big enough for you to start feeling those movements now (or anytime in the next few weeks). So get ready!



In less than three weeks, we'll hopefully learn the gender of our little B-Mo. I'll post a new preggo picture soon. I'm at the stage where I'm just feeling fat. I'm feeling better now that I've got more maternity pants (thanks to my MIL). But I literally tried on like 20 dresses for the upcoming Costco Christmas party. Three were my own dresses that I couldn't quite fit into. Kinda depressing. I decided that I deserve to have my makeup done for the party next Saturday and my birthday the following Saturday. So while I may not feel like my body looks good in what I'm wearing, at least my face will feel pretty :).

Finally showing

Last Sunday around 4 am I woke up with a new hardness right below my belly button. It was the craziest feeling like I could fit it in the palm of my hand. Then when I really woke up it was spread out through my lower abdomin. It was the first time Tim really touched my tummy and felt something there. It was really cool. This week at work people were commenting that I finally looked like I started showing. I think to strangers I probably look like I have a beer belly. I remember my sister sharing with me how touched she was when a stranger commented on her pregnancy because it was the first recognition she received.

Yesterday I was a bridesmaid in a wedding. I definitely looked pregnant in my dress. I was relieved that the dress still fit me, but I was looking forward to unzipping it on the way home! It was a long and exhausting 28 hours of pure wedding preperations (minus the 7 hours I got to sleep). But no nap for the preggo! I ended up falling asleep on the way home due to mental and physical exhaustion!

I'm still not having any real cravings, but I was really wanting some fresh pineapple from HI. The canned stuff just doesn't cut it. Then I remembered my friends were in HI and we were watching their (barking non stop) dog. So I asked them to bring us back one and they did!! I can't wait to eat it tomorrow! Yum!

And due to popular demand, I finally took a belly picture. Since I finally look kind of pregnant and not just out of shape and tubby I decided it was time to share a new belly photo. This is me at 15 weeks. They say B-Mo is the size of a large navel orange.

The ultra sound I received 2 weeks ago puts my new due date at 5/1. So that means this week I will be 16 weeks. I look forward to feeling B-Mo move. I think I have felt her/him move and what my mom has described, I think I felt movement. But I'm not sure, so I can't wait for that definite feeling!

I don't have my next scheduled U/S until 12/18 however, I've learned we can find out the gender as early as 16 weeks. I could just wait a month, but thats like holding on to a gift for 4 weeks without taking a peak. I'm not sure I can wait that long and I might just pay out of pocket to find out sooner. I can't wait to know if we're having a Lake or a Kaydriana!