18.5 weeks update

I've been a slack blogger! Things have been going well...I'm feeling great and have lots of energy. I've been feeling the baby move fairly often and I love it! It is the most incredible feeling. I had a heartbeat check a few days ago and it was beating away strong and loud!

Our big ultrasound is a week from today. I'm so excited but very nervous, as well. Mr. C. and I are sticking to our decision not to find out the gender. I'd LOVE to know but he feels like since nothing about this process has been a surprise, it would be nice to have one unknown thing. I think it will be an amazing moment when he announces, "It's a ____!" to everyone. We have two names picked out and a gender neutral nursery, so we're set for a boy or a girl.

Here are some photos from this week:

18 weeks belly shot.

I couldn't resist buying this precious onsie!

I found this cute ornament at the Holiday Market...perfect for our tree this year!

Sweet 16

Here I am at 16 weeks! Nothing new to report...I feel like I am getting bigger every day, which I love!

Baby Shopping Extravaganza!

Mom and I went to Charlotte on Saturday to visit Destination Maternity. We had so much fun! What a cool store...they know what pregnant women need - inside they had juice, water, snacks, and even a spa! Sweet! They have 3 different shops in one; all at different price points...I love having options. I have been searching for a holiday party dress and I found the perfect one:


It actually looks much cuter in person. I also don't have such a huge bump so it looks a little different on me! I did try it on with the belly in the store, so I know that I can wear it throughout my pregnancy. I also bought some maternity tights to wear with it. I've always hated the waist band on tights; I should have bought maternity ones years ago!

Mr. C and I also bought our nursery bedding!!! I know it is a bit early, but we got a 25% off coupon from Serena and Lily and they NEVER have sales. The coupon expired today, so we had to go ahead and do it! The yellow room is decorated with the same colors/fabric as the Graham nursery collection, so we knew that that's what we'd be buying for the crib. So exciting! Now we just need a crib to put it in. Here it is:


I also had my 16 week OB appointment today. We met a new OB (new to us) who I really liked. He said everything looked and felt great! The heartbeat was in the 160s. I always LOVE hearing that sound! Our next OB appointment is the BIG U/S in 4 weeks...I can't wait!

15 weeks 1 day

I'm finally updating my blog! Everything is going well and I'm getting a bit of my energy back, so that is nice. I haven't even taken a nap during the past several days! Everyone knows about the pregnancy now, so it's been so fun to hear all the congratulations and excitement from our friends, family, and acquaintances. I've now got 2 pairs of maternity pants which are SO comfortable. I scored an AMAZING deal on a pair of Citizens of Humanity maternity jeans (which I'm sporting in my photo) on Ebay. 63% off retail and they were new with tags! Sooo exciting! Here I am in all my glory at 15 weeks:

Happy Halloween!

(Click on pic to see it bigger.)

Surprise ultrasound!

Today I had my second OB appointment. When it was time to hear the heartbeat, the dr. couldn't find it on the doppler! Of course I freaked out because it was so easy to find 2 weeks ago. She said not to worry, the baby had probably just moved, but she didn't want us to stress so she brought in an ultrasound machine to check it out. It was amazing to have my first abdominal ultrasound! I felt like a real pregnant lady! Everything looked great...the heart was pumping away like crazy and the baby actually looked like a baby! We could see the eyes, nose, mouth, and the arms and legs. Unfortunately, he/she was asleep, so we didn't get to see any movement. Since the u/s machine was so old, it didn't show any measurements, so we didn't get a CRL (crown rump length), a heartrate, or any photos. :( (Mr. C. didn't bring the camera this time b/c we didn't think there would be anything to see.) I SO wish I had pictures to stare at, but I guess I'll just have to wait 8 more weeks for that! Next OB appointment is in 4 weeks.

I needed to have some bloodwork done while I was there and my insurance is not recognized by my OB's lab. SO, I had to go upstairs to the hospital lab to have my blood drawn. When we got to the lab, there was this huge sign telling pregnant women to STOP! Because of the flu, all pregnant women have to wear a mask to enter the lab. Here I am in all my glory (snapped w/ C's Blackberry). Sexy, huh?

10 Weeks and 1st OB Appointment

Today was our first OB appointment and I was so nervous. It's been 2 weeks since our last u/s, and I wanted to make sure that everything was still going alright in there! After a long meeting with the nurse where she asked me everything from my family history to my birthing preferences, we got to see the doctor (incidentally, he was voted the "hottest doctor" in our city!). He said that he'd try to hear the heartbeat with a doppler, but that 10 weeks was really early for a doppler so if we didn't hear it we'd do an ultrasound. As soon as he touched the probe to my abdomen, it was loud and clear! The baby's heart was right there beating away at 177 bpm! He said, "Are you sure you're only 10 weeks? That's a really strong heartbeat!" He couldn't believe we could hear it loud and clear with a doppler so early. It was amazing to hear that tiny heart beating for the first time.

Much to my dismay, our next ultrasound won't be until 20 weeks!!! I can't believe I have to wait over 2 months to see the baby again! He said that I'll have monthly appointments until then. After much moaning and groaning on my part, he agreed that I could come back in 2 weeks instead of 4 to hear the heartbeat again. That will pretty much round out my 1st trimester and maybe I can start to relax. After that, waiting a month between appointments won't be quite so excruciating, I guess. Mr. C. and I are super excited and loving each milestone that we reach!

Here we are (Yes, I admit we're dorks) documenting the first time we heard the hb! You can see the 177 bpm on the monitor.



Here's a video of us listening to the hb. Note how the men are all involved with talking about the camera and I'm in the background oohing and ahhing about the baby!