23 weeks, 6 days - Checkup

On Wednesday, December 21st, we had another great checkup! This time MG was very active! She ended up kicking the exact spot where the doppler wand was positioned on my tummy. It was too funny! Then she continued to roll around in my tummy, something my husband could see from where he was sitting and thought was very funny.

Mary Grace had  a heart rate of 154 bpm, which is the highest it's been in a few months. I think it was because she was so busy practicing her ballet moves (or, as the nurse probably thought, her kickboxing moves).

This was the first time I inquired about my weight and measurements. I've deliberately not looked at the scales nor asked about my weight gain since our first appointment. But this time around I couldn't resist. So far I've gained 12 pounds. My belly measurement is 24 cm- which is right on the button since we will be 24 weeks tomorrow.

I love appointments where the only thing I'm required to do is give a urine sample and sit contently and listen to our baby's heartbeat. I've been forewarned that our next appointment will not be so pleasant.

We're scheduled to see the doctor again on January 16th. This will be the gross glucose screening and lovely lab workup. Yuck!

One bit of good news, we will soon get to have our 4D ultrasound! Since we have so much lab work schedule for next time, the ultrasound will probably be sometime in early February. We're excited and cannot to see our sweet Mary Grace!

Ready For A Stroll- or perhaps a Jog

Look what UPS Santa brought tonight! We knew we wanted a jogging stroller and there are hundreds out there to choose from, but finding a jogging stroller travel system is nearly impossible. I finally found a jogger that is also a travel system, so I'll be able to use it fairly soon after MG makes her debut (that is, if I'm she's feeling up to it).

While there are some super cute, girly strollers and carseats out there, I wanted something neutral. I figured that a good jogging stroller is something we can keep for our future babies use, so I didn't want to order one in pink and have a little baby boy riding in it someday.

I insisted that my husband put it together tonight, and I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I've been pushing it around the house all evening. After all, we do need to get acquainted with how it and the car seat works!

Here's the stroller we ended up getting- it's the Baby Trend Expedition Jogger and the color is called green tea, but it's really all black with barely a hit of green piping along the carseat. Love it!

20 Weeks, 6 Days - Checkup

On Wednesday, Nov. 30th we had another great doctor's appointment. We were 20 weeks 6 days along and everything looked good! Mary Grace's heart rate was 146 bpm. I love listening to her heartbeat. I'd lie there all day listening to it if they'd let me!

Our next appointment is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 21st.

20 Weeks

We are now halfway through our pregnancy and our baby is now the size of a cantaloupe (according to thebump.com). Thanksgiving Day is the perfect day to reach this milestone. This year we are most thankful for this life that our precious Lord is creating. It seems like just yesterday we were praying for a child, and now we are halfway to meeting our sweet Mary Grace. This first half has flown by, and before we know it we will be holding our little girl.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Getting Started

Saturday we officially decided on nursery furniture/decor and we bought Mary Grace's baby bedding! The hardest part was going through fabric swatches- I bet I looked at 100 before deciding on what I wanted for the chair/ottoman. I'm starting to get the nursery 'fever'. Things are starting to come together in my head of what I want the nursery to be. I'm ready to dig and start decorating!

My husband moved out our guest room furniture from the nursery. Now all I have to do is empty out one of her closets. My mom is coming to help steam clean the carpets. The room is pretty much a clean slate- now time to start filling it up with sweet baby girl things!

For the nursery, we had already painted the walls a nice mellow gray after we moved in. I love the gray and we didn't want to change the wall colors. I'm not really into loads of pink- I know that pink sort of comes with the territory when you're having a girl. Here are some nursery ideas we've found.

Below is the baby bedding we bought. It's the Grace collection from Bananafish. I love that the detailing is very girly, but without the usual pink colors.

19 Weeks

 

Our baby is now the size of a mango! I felt her moving around more today than ever. Everything is going great and the 'bump' is getting bigger and bigger. I've been pretty sick since last Friday and my doctor ended up putting me on antibiotics for a sinus infection. I stayed in bed all weekend (thank goodness it was a three day weekend). I ventured to work on Monday only to come back home by noon. I was home sick Tuesday and slept much of the day. I'm still not 100%. Being sick is never any fun, but being sick and pregnant is the pits!

Here's to hoping I will be fully recovered by the end of the weekend. I want to enjoy my week off for Thanksgiving!

Oh another note, my brother came home today from Afghanistan! I took him out to dinner tonight. Words just cannot describe how I feel knowing he is safe and sound here at home! Thank you to everyone who has prayed for him and our family over the past 11 months!

And she shall be called.....

 

My husband is the one who named her, and yes it is a good ole' southern double name! Both of our grandmothers are named Mary, and of course we had to have Grace. Grace is from my name, but mostly we chose it for my great-grandmother whom I was named after. Gracie always meant so much to me, and I'd give anything to share our special news with her! It think it's kind of neat- I was named after my two great grandmothers, and our daughter is too!

 We cannot wait to meet our sweet Mary Grace!

Other names we considered: Audrey, Ava, and Caroline. If we have a second daughter, she will most likely  be an Audrey.

Sugar and Spice

We are thrilled to announce we are expecting a sweet baby GIRL! Words cannot express how excited we are! I wanted to have a surprise- and I definitely received one! I kept feeling like our baby was a boy, but turns out my husband was right! We cannot stop smiling and our hearts are just filled with awe and thankfulness at what our Sweet Jesus is doing for us!

Our sweet baby girl looks great! She's actually measuring above average on several growth areas. Her heart beat was a healthy 146 bpm. The anatomy scan looked great and we cannot wait to meet our sweet girl in April!

When we first started the ultrasound, she was sucking her little thumb. So sweet! She quickly started bouncing around and, as usual, she was giving the poor technician such a hard time! My husband thinks we may have a little spitfire on our hands. It took quite a bit of trying and maneuvering to see 'the goods', but we were able to get two clear shots. I just hope she's t

hat modest during her teenage years! 

Baby Bump and The Big Day

We're 18 weeks today! The belly is definitely starting to show!

Also, today is the big day- we find out if we're having a Little Lady or a Little Man!

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!