It's a Boy!

Oops, I didn't realize it had been a month since I updated!! Our biggest news is that we're having a boy! We've picked out Finnegan as his first name (to be called Finn) and we're working on a 2nd name. One of us would like Tiberius (as in James Tiberius Kirk from Star Trek).....

We recently spent 10 days in Hawaii visiting my sister and her husband. We had a great time and did a ton of activities. Snorkeling, going to various beaches, checking out the North Shore, dinner in Waikiki, Pearl Harbor memorial.....the list is long!

We're slowing getting the baby's room together and recently created our registries at Target and Babies R Us. We're going to Houston next month to visit P's parents who want to take us baby shopping. We'll probably order the crib and glider after we come home.

How far along: 20 weeks 4 days

Next appointment: July 8 - 24 week appointment

Any new aches/pains: I wake up with my hips hurting almost every morning.

Maternity clothes: Except for a few cardigans, it's all maternity clothes now.

Sleep: I'm still getting up at least once a night to use the bathroom and if I end up on my I wake up with heartburn.

Best moment this week: Feeling more consistent movement.

Movement: Every day! Usually in the morning and evening, and sometimes at work when sitting at my desk.

Food cravings: It depends on the day. Most recently has been ice cream.

Belly button: Still in, but I fear it may pop out soon.

What I miss: Being able to sleep on my stomach.

What I'm looking forward to this week: Meeting Katie at Babies R Us to work on the more "difficult" registry items (bottles, breast pump, etc.)

Weekly wisdom: Expect to wake up from heartburn if you eat greasy food before bed.

Putting my mind at ease.

I had the Quad Screen done at my 16 week appointment last week. My OB's office uses that, the 12 week blood work, and the NT scan before they give you the risk assessment for various disorders (Down's, Trisomy 18, etc.). A nurse called me this morning and said that the test results are negative. This translates to the baby being low risk for Down's, Trisomy 18, and neural tube defects. The doctor should go over all the results at my next appointment and give us our actual risk (ex. - 1 in 1000).

They tested my TSH again and it's down to 3.36 from 4.05 at 8 weeks. Yay! I'm not feeling any symptoms, so at this point I'm not pushing my doctors to up my dose. As long as I stay around 3 and under, I'm happy.

Just call me Martha Stewart!

I've seen a couple DIY closet divider projects in blogs, so I decided I wanted to make my own. They're beachy, of course, and I think they turned out pretty gender neutral. Who says boys can't like hibiscus flowers!


I followed the directions in this blog: http://coreychick.blogspot.com/2010/02/closet-organization.html

It took me a little longer than 45 minutes and I also spent more, but I didn't have basic supplies like a hot glue gun or glue stick.

Bought my first baby item!

Ok, really I bought 2 items.

The first is this adorable Christmas onesie that I got on sale for $7 at a baby boutique in Williamsburg.The second is my diaper bag! Gilt.com had a huge baby sale recently, and I ordered the Skip Hop Dash Deluxe in light blue. It was delivered yesterday and looks to be the perfect size for the average day out!


I can't believe it's already time for my 16 week appointment! I'm going on Thursday and the next appointment I schedule will be 20 weeks which is halfway! Wow, time flies.

In other news, P and I are going to Hawaii at the end of May to visit Rebecca and John. I'm so excited for a vacation, and I've never been to Hawaii. I told my sister that if senior citizens can do it, then the activity will be fine for me as well. I can't wait for days on the beautiful beaches and all the other activities we'll do.

How far along: 15 weeks 6 days

Next appointment: This Thursday, May 13. 16 weeks appointment.

Any new aches/pains: Nope. Back pain comes and goes, but it's only bad if I don't listen to my body and stop whatever is straining my back.

Maternity clothes: I'm pretty much in maternity pants full time. A lot of my t-shirts are starting to get too short, so it's probably going to be time to break out the maternity t-shirts soon. I can still wear a lot of my short sleeve sweaters, cardigans, and stretchier tops to work, but not so much with the button down shirts.

Sleep: The crazy dreams have stopped for now, but I still have the 2am pee break. Now I'm having trouble staying on my side while I sleep.

Best moment this week: Booking our plane tickets for Hawaii!

Movement: I think I might have felt something last night (kind of like a popping sensation or fluttering sensation right below my belly button), but I'd need to feel it a few more times before I'm convinced it's baby movement and not gas.

Food cravings: Mexican food, cheese, Pizza Hut breadsticks. Nice and healthy...

Belly button: Still in.

What I miss: Not having to try on every top in my closet before going to work because what fit last week doesn't fit this week.

What I'm looking forward to this week: 16 weeks and the end of my 4th month!

Weekly wisdom: Sometimes the afternoon calls for a trip to the office "snack shack" for a candy bar.

2nd attempt at NT scan was a success!

I went back to the doctor's office on Friday so they could try the NT scan again. This time we had a cooperative baby and the tech could get the measurements she needed.

Crown-Rump Length: 7.43cm (was told under 8 is good)
NT measurement: 1.5mm (under 3 is good)
Heart rate: 159bpm

I also had more blood drawn and should get our risk assessment at the next appointment on May 13. I got the blood work results back from my first appointment. Not that I was surprised, but it's always good to hear you don't have HIV, syphilis, herpes, and every other STD out there. I'm also not a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis. This is a relief to Patrick because he's very concerned he's going to have to get blood drawn for something baby-related!

My reward for getting blood drawn was a trip to Prime Outlets afterwards. I kept my promise to the ultrasound tech and did not go into the baby outlets, but I did hit up Motherhood Maternity. I bought a pair of black work pants, black capri pants, a skirt, a black shirt to go with the skirt, and 2 collared work shirts. Not too bad!

Now for the fun part - 3 more ultrasound pictures! I got to see the baby flip over, swallow, and wave. Pretty neat!

***Pictures removed 9/1/10 for privacy***

How far along: 13 weeks 5 days

Next appointment: May 13. 16 week appointment is standard weight, blood pressure, pee in the cup. I'll get more blood work done too.

Any new aches/pains: Nausea seems to be gone for good! (Let's hope I didn't just jinx myself.) I have occasional heartburn and some back pain.

Maternity clothes: I'm wearing maternity pants at work for the first time. I have no shame.

Sleep: Still waking up to pee in the middle of the night and having vivid dreams, but I wake up feeling rested. I can feel the 2nd trimester energy building!

Best moment this week: The 2 ultrasounds last week were fantastic! I also found out that 2 very close friends are pregnant and we're all due before the end of the year. Baby Fest 2010!!!

Movement: Not yet, but I've heard it can start at Week 14. I'm not holding my breath.

Food cravings: Mexican food. I've been good about not giving in to cravings as much.

Belly button: Still in.

What I miss: Right now, nothing.

What I'm looking forward to this week: Hitting 14 weeks on Wednesday. Making plans to visit Rebecca in Hawaii.

Weekly wisdom: TBD

First ultrasound!

We had our first ultrasound yesterday! I really expected to cry when I saw the baby and heard the heartbeat, but I must admit that my first reaction was that it looks like an alien. The baby was slightly uncooperative and was facing the screen the whole time, so it was hard to get a good profile shot. We got to see the little guy for a good 15-20 minutes and it really was the most amazing experience. He was flipping all over the place and kicking up a storm!

Baby is measuring a week ahead of where I thought I was, so the due date changed to October 27. We're hoping for a Halloween baby at this point!

The sonographer guessed that it's a boy, but made us promise not to run out and buy anything. I'm excited about that, and also interested to see if it changes at our anatomy scan.

Since the baby was not cooperating she couldn't take the NT scan measurements, so I'm going back on Friday for one more try. Oh darn, I have to see my baby again. :)

All in all, it was a great day. My blood pressure was way down from the previous appointments which makes me very happy. I think they key is to have them take it after I've been there awhile and not when I first walk through the door.

Can't wait to go back on Friday!!

24 hours and random musings.

24 hours until our first ultrasound? If you didn't know by now that I'm excited, well.... :)

Assuming all goes well we'll be going public tomorrow afternoon. My plan is to call my mom after the appointment, scan the ultrasound pictures when I get to work and email them to my parents and sister, and then call my SAHM friend who will answer her phone during the day. She's going to be so excited!! I'll call 3 other close friends after work to let them know before I put anything on Facebook. I haven't decided if I'm going to tell work tomorrow afternoon or hold off until Wednesday. I'm really nervous about telling them because I'll immediately have to start avoiding the question of "Are you coming back after maternity leave?".

On a completely different note, I've started thinking about certain activities differently than in the past now that I consider what it will be like with a child. One example is the circus which is in town right now. I remember going to the circus once as a child (I may have gone other times but just don't remember). At a fairly young age I decided for myself that I didn't agree with animals being forced to perform and would not go to the circus with the rest of my family. I was concerned with where they lived and how they were transported all over the country. I always hoped the tiger would eat a trainer or that an elephant would step on a clown. Looking back, was it strange for a child to value the well-being of an animal over a human? Weird as it may be, my views haven't changed in the past 20 years. I don't understand friends who watch bull riding on tv (I don't care how "hot" the guys are) because I secretly wish the bull will trample the rider, or perhaps gore him. When it happens I think "Well, he got what he deserved for making the animal do that."

Anyway, the other night another commercial for the circus came on tv. I turned to P and said, "Have I ever told you that I won't take our future children to the circus? If you want to, that's fine, but I won't." He thought about it for a minute and said he wasn't sure he would either. So now I have to ask myself if it's fair to not let our children make up their minds like I did. Can I explain why I don't like the circus to a 4 year old who wants to know why his/her preschool friends have seen the clowns but he/she has not? Will I be able to explain how I consider zoos and aquariums to be different because the animals are often born into captivity and the experience of seeing them is a learning tool (how can you want to protect something you've never seen?)? Oh the things I think about these days!