Merry Christmas!

21 Weeks (Please excuse the confederate flag...blech.)

Merry Christmas from SC! It is amazing how different this Christmas is for us. We've spent too many Christmases being sad and this year we can truly celebrate! Even though it is a joyful time of year, we've had a tinge of sadness for the last 4 years, thinking about what we've lost and what should have been. Now, we look forward to next year and the joy of sharing our first Christmas as a family of 3. I hope everyone has a joyful holiday!

Half-Baked!

I can't believe I am halfway through my pregnancy! I am so blessed and amazed to have made it this far. I've been so fortunate to have a great 4.5 months and I hope the second half goes just as well!

19 weeks. I love this photo!

20 weeks.

Our Big Ultrasound!

Today was an amazing day. Mr. C. and I got to see our baby for the first time since our 8 week u/s. Wow, how things have changed! We have a beautiful baby who's organs and body parts are measuring perfectly! Everything is intact and as it should be at this point. We stayed strong and did not find out the gender. The ultrasound tech could clearly tell what it is, so we do know that we have one or the other!!

Actually, the baby looks so good that the OB's office asked me to come back on Friday so that they could train their new u/s tech by looking at my baby! They'll do another anatomy scan and for my time, they're going to throw in a 3D u/s. Fun! Here are some photos from this morning:

Beautiful profile!

Baby was flipping all around during our scan!

Five fingers waving hello!

Baby foot.

Sitting cross-legged. (Knobby knees to the right, crossed feet to the left.)

Giving us a thumbs-up to let us know everything is okay!

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: