I finally look pregnant!

22 Weeks

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Well, there is no mistaking it now. I definitely cannot hide the fact that I'm pregnant. Of course, the maternity shirts accentuate my belly...but at least I look pregnant now and not just fat. :)

I'm still feeling good and exercising regularly. I've stopped jogging though...Ricky told me I was shaking the baby. So now I'm walking briskly and doing Spin class instead of jogging. I'm pretty tired by Friday, but that's nothing new.

I've also gotten my chocolate craving back! I'm trying to be disciplined and just treat myself on the weekends. I don't want the baby getting too much caffeine! But sometimes I just have to have some. I enjoyed chocolate ice cream at Coldstone Creamery on Saturday and it was heaven!

We went to the doctor last Friday and everything looked good. The doctor had reviewed our ultrasound and she said it was all normal. At my next appointment I have to take the glucose test. Basically you have to drink some orange liquid that I've heard taste like really sweet Sunkist/orange kool-aid. Then you have to wait 1 hour and they prick your finger. If your glucose/sugar levels are normal, then everything is fine. If they are elevated you have to go back for a 3 hour test. Ugh! I'm praying my levels are normal!

Ok, so here is another belly pic. I feel very brave displaying a picture of my large expanding belly for all the world to see! Consider yourselves lucky for seeing this! :)

It's A Girl!

It's A Girl!

Thursday was our ultrasound and we found out we are having a baby girl! Ricky and I were both very surprised by this news...for some reason we thought it was a boy. We were just sure of it. My mom went with us to the ultrasound and afterwards told me she thought it was a girl. So did Ricky's mom. Mother's intuition...always right.

During the ultrasound the nurse checked the brain, spinal cord, placenta, amniotic fluid, umbilical cord, femur bone, eye sockets, and all her organs. Her kidneys were in the right location and her heart was pumping away. You could see 2 chambers of the heart. It was so neat! We kept saying "he" during the ultrasound and the doctor finally said, "Let's clear this up. I don't think this is a he. This is a little girl." We were so shocked but extremely excited. Ricky said this will be daddy's little girl!

If you look at the picture above, she is lying upside down. Her head is at the bottom left and her legs are folded over her head with her feet at the top left. She is very flexible! She flipped over during the ultrasound, crossed her legs, and moved her arm around while the nurse was checking her. It was so funny to watch!

We are so blessed to have a healthy little girl and we would appreciate your continued prayers for a healthy pregnancy and baby!

20 Weeks - The baby moved...I think!

20 Weeks
How your baby's growing:Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.) He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Last week I had some very subtle feelings in my uterus...well, below my stomach. I assumed they were in my uterus. But I couldn't figure out if it was the baby or gas or my uterus stretching. There's so much going on in my body right now, I have no idea what I'm feeling. Well, yesterday and today I noticed MORE feelings in my uterus. I can only assume it's the baby moving. Today it felt more like something rubbing or poking me, kind of like a bubble moving around. Hopefully these feelings will become more consistent. Then I will know for sure my little peanut is down there doing somersaults!

Notice the 2 pictures. Both of these pictures were taken this evening. Why do I look bigger in the sweater and smaller in the tank top? Weird...

Our ultrasound is Thursday morning. Pray the baby turns the right way so we can find out if we are having a boy or girl. Stay tuned!

We hear the baby's heartbeat!

A friend told me about a company where you can rent the doppler radios similar to the ones doctors use to listen to the baby's heartbeat. I went online to Stork Radio and rented one for 3 months. Because we only go to the doctor once a month, I worry about what's going on with the baby in between appointments. I assume he/she is growing because I'm getting bigger! But being able to hear the heartbeat whenever I want is so reassuring.
I anxiously awaited the arrival of the doppler all week and it finally arrived on Friday. As soon as we got home from work, we tried it out. They provide you with gel just like the doctor uses and all you do is hold the wand on your belly until you find the heartbeat. I remember where the doctor usually listened for it, so we tried that same spot. It worked!
Here is a video clip of the heartbeat. It's so neat! The heartbeat averages 150-160 beats per minute.

5 Year Anniversary

Ricky and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary Saturday night with a nice dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. The restaurant is located at the new Grande Dunes marina right on the waterway. The food was excellent and so was the view.

Ricky started off with seafood gumbo and we both enjoyed fresh bread with butter. He had a caesar salad and I had a greens salad with homemade lemon basil dressing. Of course, Ricky had the filet. Since the restaurant is know for their quality beef, I knew he would order a steak. I had wild salmon on a bed of steamed broccoli, carrots, onion, and sweet potatoes. We were both too full to order dessert but the waitress insisted we get something since it was our anniversary. And she told us it was complimentary. So we got the chocolate sin cake to go. Talk about rich!

We both talked about how we couldn't believe 5 years had gone by so fast. What's even more amazing is that we have lived in Myrtle Beach for 5 years (6 years for Ricky). We do look forward to moving back to NC in the future so we can be closer to family and friends. Especially since we will have a new baby!