New Posts

I finally got around to publishing my pregnancy posts. Just scroll down to read the newest ones! I've backdated several of them for the sake of my journal- some go back all the way to September.

Sugar and Spice -or- Snips and Snails?

It's official- my husband won the negotiations. We will find out the sex of our baby on Thursday!

So, will it be Sugar And Spice or Snips And Snails?

I think we're having a boy. I may regret this-but let me rephrase that- I know we're having a boy. I can't explain it. Mother's intutition maybe? In the same way I knew we were pregnant, I just know we're having a boy.

Signs we're having a boy:

1. My intuition.
2. Whenever I dream about the baby, I always dream we have a boy.
3. The ring test says it's a boy ( I did the one over the belly and the one over my left wrist- both said boy).
4. Anything I'm browsing through baby things, I am drawn to blue. 

Signs we're having a girl:

1. The Chinese calendar predicts a girl.
2. Everyone (with the exception of me and my mother-in-law) feels like we will have a daughter.
3. We've had our girl name picked out practically since before we were expecting.
4. My husband feels we're having a girl. Then again, he's just saying that in the case that my intuition is wrong.

What do you think? Cast your vote on the left side of my blog! 

I've Been Wating For This Moment

I've been waiting for the moment when I feel my sweet child moving around in my tummy. That moment came this morning around 9:00 while I was teaching reading. It felt like popcorn popping in my tummy! There is no doubt that it was the baby moving!

It just keeps getting better everyday!

15 Week Appointment

We had our 15 week appointment on October 20 and everything looked great! We did not have an ultrasound, but we did get to hear the baby's heartbeat- it was 158 bpm. This time my sweet husband was able to hear it in person (at my 11 week appointment, I called him and let him hear the heartbeat over the phone).

We are still in negotiations regarding the gender. We talked to the doctor about it, and they marked SURPRISE on our charts. So, they won't tell us unless we ask at our next appointment.

We are scheduled to have our big ultrasound on November 10th. At this point, we could find out if we decided not to let it be a surprise. We still haven't really made a decision yet. I'm just looking forward to being able to see how much our baby has grown!

Baby Bump

We're 14 weeks today!

Negotiations

Negotiations on whether or not to find out the gender of our baby have been going on since we found out we were expecting.

I want to let it be a surprise. I feel that in life there are very few truly great surprises- and this is one of them. Now, I know it would be easier to plan and decorate if we knew, but I honestly would enjoy the surprise so much more!

My husband says we have no idea how much our lives are going to change, and he doesn't want anymore surprises than there has to be. He wants to be as prepared as possible. He promises that we will keep our next baby a surprise.

So, we're negotiating.

Baby Bump

As of today, we are 12 weeks & 2 days along! There's just barely a little bump there!

11 Week Appointment

Our 11 week appointment was on September 22nd. My mom went to this appointment with me- she was dying to see the baby on the ultrasound. I was just amazed at how much our baby had grown in three short weeks! This time we were actually able to see a small arm, profile, and little legs. The baby kept moving and bouncing around! I would giggle and then he/she would get really still for a moment before starting up again.

Everything looked great and the heartbeat was 160 bpm. This time we were actually able to hear the heartbeat using the Doppler, rather than just seeing it on the ultrasound.  It sounded like a train going over the train tracks. I could sit and listen to that for hours!

At my first appointment I just knew I'd have to do lab work. I loathe needles! Luck was on my side that time. I wasn't so lucky this time around. But seeing my sweet baby made it all worth it!

In the top picture, you can see a little arm sticking up. I dreamed about sweet baby arms and fingers for several nights afterward :)

These Days

These days the only things on my mind are 1)sleeping and 2) when I'm not sleeping I think about food.

So far I've had a wonderful pregnancy, with little to no nausea. Well, except for today when I was set off by brushing my teeth (makes me gag like crazy these days). Oh, and then again when one of my students was sick in the hall. I normally can somewhat deal with that, but just the sight of it today sent me running to the restroom.

Anywho, due to little nausea, I've been able to eat just about anything I want. Well, these days I would love to chow down on some sushi, but it's off limits for me during the next several months.

Really the only big complaint, or symptom, is exhaustion. I sleep all the time. Let me say it again. I sleep all the time. I have zero energy, and to top it off I was sick with a cold most of last week and the weekend. So needless to say I was doing good to roll over in bed every few hours. All is better now in the cold department, and I'm quite proud of myself for actually blogging!

Due to this exhaustion, I've let some things lag.  Mainly housework. But before I go into that I must give a very big THANK YOU to my amazing husband who has stepped up and cleaned for me. Still, our home just feels grungy. To try and motivate myself, I stopped after work to pick up some cleaning supplies- including some great apples and cinnamon candles (don't you love Fall?), rubber gloves, and a mask (just to be safe from the fumes). I was actually excited while stocking my buggy, but that excitement quickly vanished when I had to lug my loot up my back steps and into my house. Funny how that happens, isn't it?

Everything I hear and read says that my energy will come back during my 2nd trimester and that I'll feel more like myself again. These days I'm living for my 2nd trimester. We will be 10 weeks on Thursday, so not too much longer.

Okay, enough distraction. Yes, this is a distraction. I thought I'd feel better about not cleaning if I blogged rather than sitting and watching TV. At least this does qualify as being productive ;) I'm off to tackle our house. And dinner. Ugh, I forgot I have to cook dinner. I don't have it in me to do both, so I'm off to clean and call my sweet husband (maybe I can convince him to pick something up on his way home).

Sharing the News

We found out our sweet baby was on the way August 5th, but decided to wait a bit before sharing our news. There were two main reasons for this: 1) We wanted to tell our parents in person, and 2) we wanted to have our first doctor's appointment first.

It's rare that all of our parents are in town at the same time, so finding a way to get them together without them growing suspicious was a feat in itself. My husband was set to be baptized on September 4th, so our family members would all be in town. The only family member we told early was my brother. He called one Saturday from Afghanistan and we shared our news with him. I so wanted to tell him in person, but didn't think I'd have the chance before he eventually found out through someone else. Telling him via phone is a bit ironic seeing as how things turned out.

We gave our parents a framed ultrasound photo with a sweet poem attached. We told my father-in-law first, and then went to tell my dad. Right after my dad opened his framed ultrasound picture, I turned and saw my brother standing in the doorway! He had surprised everyone by coming home on leave for a few days. See the irony here? It was a great day for surprises!

We then went to see my grandparents before meeting my mom for dinner. She did not know that my sneaky brother was home, so we decided to do a double-whamy on her. We went on into the resturant and was seated at a table, then my brother comes in behind her and sits down- I thought she would die of a heart attack! Then, he gives her a wrapped gift (her framed ultrasound photo). Looking back, it may have been a bit too much for her! We captured it all on video, and I'm hoping to get my tech savvy husband to upload it onto here.

Our last stop of the night was at my mother-in-laws house. She had absolutely no idea! I think she was the most surprised out of everyone! I will always remember the sweet look on her face and how excited she was for us! We then went to tell my husband's Grandmother, who was also very excited for us. By the end of the day, we were both exhausted. The next day was topped off by my husband's baptism, then our pastor sharing our special news with our amazing church family.

We mailed out pregnancy announcements to our family and friends. They turned out super cute- if I do say so myself.

I'm not really sure what's up with the colors

300th Post

My last post makes number 300 for this blog!

Oh, Baby!

 We are thrilled to announce we are expecting our first child in April. We found out we were expecting on August 5th. We are 2 days shy of 9 weeks along and so far everything has been great. Our sweet bundle of joy is due on April 12th.

We told our family and friends this weekend. (Check back later in the week for a post on this). We have been so touched by all the sweet comments and well wishes! Baby James is blessed to have such a wonderful family, loving church family, and sweet friends.

We had our first doctor's appointment on August 31st. Seeing our sweet gift from God, and watching the tiny heart beat, brought us both to tears. We are just in awe of the miracle of life that God is creating.

So far our pregnancy has been wonderful. The only big symptom I've had is a lack of energy. I'm tired all the time and can sleep for hours. I can count on one hand the number of times I've felt bad or been sick, so I'm hoping I'll dodge the dreaded morning sickness.

We mailed out pregnancy announcements to our family and friends.Please excuse the dark and blurry picture.

 

It reads:

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

Psalm 139:19

We are thrilled to announce 

we are expecting our first child.

Baby James is due

April 2012.

Bobby and Sylvia.