22 Weeks and Happy Father's Day!

I just wanted to write a quick update and post a few pictures. I am 22 weeks today and the little guy is moving and shakin'! Joe has been able to feel him kick and even see him kick. He's pretty mellow during the day, but the minute I sit down and lay down, he gets really active.

Ella is visiting her Grandma and Grandpa Dietrich this weekend so Joe and I could paint the cabinets and change out the hardware...a difficult task to accomplish with an almost 2 year old running around. We worked from 8:00am until midnight yesterday, but, we got it done! Today we went to a Brewer's game with some friends from Chicago. They won!

Here are two 22 week belly pictures and a pictures of the kitchen, a before and after shot.

Baby Bedding

Now that we know it's a boy, I'm starting to get things prepared. I found the cutest bedding set (on major clearance) so I already ordered it! I'm going to wait and see what the colors look like in person, then pick the paint color. It's fun getting to do this all over again. Hopefully the picture of the bedding isn't too small. We plan on using all of Ella's nursery furniture and giving her my old bedroom set in its place. Hopefully by the end of August, Ella will be sleeping in her "big girl" bed and we can move the crib into the new nursery. We'll see how that goes...

We are having a baby.....

BOY!!!

Joe and I both thought we were going to be having another girl, so we were shocked when the ultrasound tech found "boy parts," as she put it. I started to cry, Joe was trying to keep Ella quiet and occupied. We thought it would be a good idea to take Ella, but she could've cared less. So word to second time parents...don't bring your 20 month old to the big ultrasound. The perinatologist came in at the end and confirmed the "boy parts," and told us that all the measurements looked good and things appeared normal. Yay! We were both relieved to hear that. My due date remains October 19th. The baby weighs 12 oz., or a can of beer, as Joe said. The quad screen results came back completely normal so there is very low risk of any birth defects or chromosomal abnormalities.

In between the 8:00am ultrasound and my 11:15 OB appointment, we took Ella to the park to run around, since she really was a good girl during the lengthy ultrasound. For this appointment, we decided to drop Ella off at one of our friend's houses. Joe finally got to hear the heartbeat at 150 beats a minute and I finally gained some weight. Yippee! Blood pressure was fine and my platelets continue to be low, but not low enough for concern at this point. Since I've been having frequent migraines (sometimes 3 times a week) my OB suggested I see a neurologist to see if there are any alternatives for medication during pregnancy.

During Ella's nap, I went through all of the bins of Ella's old clothes. I separated them into piles, one for consignment (might as well make some money) and one pile for the really cute things I will offer my pregnant friends and family (if they want them.) I was able to find quite a few gender neutral items (like white socks and onesies) mixed in with everything. Now I'm in planning mode for the nursery. I'd like to go with a blue and brown theme and have already found bedding at a couple different places. It's all so real now and I still can't get over that we're having a boy! I'm just thrilled to have a girl and now a boy. It's what I always wanted. I would've been happy either way...I LOVE my little girl! Now we'll have both!

Oh, and by the way, I am officially half-way through this pregnancy!

One Year Ago

I can't believe my baby was this little just last May! Haven't been able to get in the pool yet...hopefully soon!

19 Weeks...just about half-way there!

In less than one week, we will be able to find out if we're having a boy or a girl. June 2nd is quickly approaching and I am getting so excited! My ultrasound is at 8:00am and then my 20 week OB appointment is at 11:15am. I never got a call with abnormal results from the Quad Screen, and my doctor said, "No news is good news." So, our baby seems to be healthy! What a relief! As you can tell, I am rapidly expanding. Since I wear scrubs every day, it's really hard to tell that I'm pregnant, unless you know. But the minute I put on my "real" clothes, it's so obvious! The baby is really starting to move around. If I put my hand on the right spot, I can sometimes even feel it move on the outside. Joe has tried to feel it move, but it's stubborn and never cooperates. Soon enough though. I wanted to share my cravings this time around: anything that is bad for me (i.e. fast food, ice cream, candy, etc.), mustard, Fruit Loops, strawberries, grapefruit juice...that's all I can think of now. After that awful first trimester where I actually lost weight, I'm positive I've gained it all back, and then some. As of my last appointment, I hadn't gained any weight. According to my scale yesterday, I definitely have. At least I have my appetite back!



I picked a few pictures to post from the past few days. Yesterday, Memorial Day, was the nicest day so far this season. Sunny and low 80s. Joe, Ella, and myself went to a local parade. Ella was a little scared of the fire truck sirens, but got really excited when the airplanes flew over. Airplane, or "airpane" is a new favorite word. After her nap, we played on the sun porch, where she decided to pose like a super model, sitting on the window ledge. What a riot! Our friends, newlyweds, Brian and Jen came over for a BBQ. It was so nice to be able to sit on the patio and enjoy the weather. Ella had a blast playing in her new sandbox. Unfortunately, I think we bought the wrong kind of sand, as I am still trying to get the stains out of her clothes. Oh well...she loved it!



Today I had the day off since I worked this past weekend. We thought it would be fun to go to the zoo since Ella had never been there. Well, it was windy and about 45 degrees...not sure what happened there! It wasn't crowded...nobody wanted to be outside. Ella got really excited when she saw the monkeys and the giraffes. You can tell by the picture just how cold it was. We didn't stay too long this time, but I'm sure we'll be heading back this summer, when we can't see our breath.

I will post again on Monday, June 2nd, with the results of the BIG ULTRASOUND!!!

My Tranquility Fountain

Even though Mother's Day was cold and rainy, it turned out to be a wonderful day. Joe cooked me a special breakfast of his famous chocolate chip pancakes and they were delicious! Ella got me a card and made beautiful crayon drawings inside, she even wrote her name! (With Daddy's help.) Joe and Ella got me a small rock fountain which makes a calming trickling water noise...which I'm sure will come in handy in 5 months! Later that morning, we tried out a new church, a Methodist church not too far from our house. We liked the service, and I think Ella enjoyed playing in the nursery for an hour! After church, Joe and Ella treated me to lunch. To top it all off, Joe painted the kitchen for me! All in all, a very nice Mother's Day!

16 Weeks and Counting...

I went to the dentist the other day and I had to tell the hygienist that I was pregnant, in case any x-rays needed to be taken. (They didn't) The hygienist asked me how far along I was, and I said, "16 weeks." I could see the wheels spinning in her head, then she finally said, "So about 4 months, huh?" She proceeded to tell me that people who haven't been pregnant go by months, not weeks. I suppose that makes sense...I mean, when else do you really use weeks like that? Can you imagine, "So, when do you go on vacation?" "Oh, in about 13 weeks." That would get confusing. However, I still plan on counting by weeks. No cavities, by the way!

I had my 16 week (or 4 month) appointment on Tuesday. These earlier appointments are so quick and predictable...weight, blood pressure, baby's heartbeat. All were fine. I haven't gained any weight thus far, but my doctor said not to worry until next month. She seems to think I'll catch up just fine. My blood pressure continues to be low, so that's not a concern. And, the doctor was able to find the heartbeat, along with all of it's movements. She said I have a busy baby in there! I had blood drawn to check my platelet count, and we also decided to do a prenatal risk screen, called the quad screen. It looks for any possible abnormalities or problems. Any abnormal results come back in about a week, otherwise I wont hear anything until my next appointment, which happens to be the same day as the big ultrasound, on June 2nd!

We're not sure if Ella really gets what's going on. When we ask her where the baby is, she points to my belly. She waves and gives it hugs and kisses. She recently learned how to say "boy" and "girl." We ask her what the new baby will be and she says, "boy!" Then she says, "girl!" So who knows.

Come this September, my sister-in-law Liz will no longer be our "daycare" since her oldest son will be starting preschool. The timing just didn't work out. So we found a place for Ella, but she can't start until she turns 2...which leaves us about 3 weeks in early September when we will have to leave Ella home alone with the cats. Just kidding...but seriously, any takers??? :) Once she turns 2, no problem! We're set. For one kid. As for the new baby, this new daycare doesn't have an opening for an infant until April 2009. I will be going back to work in January. So there's 3 months where we don't know what we're going to do. It's stressful trying to find reliable and affordable daycare...almost an impossible feat. I'm sure we'll figure everything out...somehow!

Last but not least, I don't think I felt the baby move a few weeks ago when I thought I did, because I really haven't felt much since. I do think last night I started to feel it again though. I'm sure in the next few weeks it will become more obvious. That's all for now!