HALFWAY THERE! 20 Weeks and counting

Hard to believe that we are now officially past the halfway mark! We enjoyed a nice, long weekend as we were able to spend some time at the lake and time with friends. I extended my weekend by taking Tuesday off. We got a lot accomplished as we found baby furniture in Lexington at Nursery Time, finished registering at Babies-R-Us (Brad loved that one) and interviewed a great sitter. So now we feel better knowing that Anna Claire (Brad now refers to her as "AC") will have a place to sleep and will have wonderful in-home child care when Mom and Dad are both working.

Click on the link below to see our nursery furniture... we are ordering it in white. A pic of the bedding can be found on the blog, just to the right. We can't wait!

http://www.munirefurniture.com/urban_04.htm

Babycenter.com update:

Halfway there - congrats! Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. (our's weighs a little more than this as a week ago she weighed 10 ounces!) She's also around 6 1/2 to 7 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel. She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first soiled diaper (although some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery). YUCK! PLEASE NOTE: BRAD GETS TO CHANGE THE FIRST DIAPER!

Funny cartoon, now that I am really showing!

Doctor's Appointment Etc.

My appointment went really well today! This ultrasound was neat, but a lot more medical and maybe just a tad less entertaining. Still, we are so relieved to know that she is doing well and is healthy! It was also confirmed - definitely a girl! Mom and I just acted surprised and told the tech we thought maybe it was a girl. I just didn't feel like explaining the whole saga with everyone at the doctor's office. Ha! Mom enjoyed being there and seeing the little babe kicking and waving. I was glad to have her there as well since Brad is stuck in training all week. I told the tech that we had tried to reschedule and were unable to find a date that worked and that my husband was a police officer and was not able to come due to mandatory training. I think the tech felt sorry for me and because of that we got lots of pics to share with him! Little Anna Claire (not 100% on that, but we think!) was sucking her thumb again and moving all around! I think she will definitely be a thumb sucker! At one point she had both hands pressed together in a praying position. I told the tech she was praying and saying "Are you kidding me??? These people are my parents?!?" HA.

After the appointment, Mom and I had a quick breakfast at Panera and then shopped for some baby gear at TJ Maxx! Mom, aka "Hunny" went home with some very cute things for Anna Claire and some neat things for baby Hammond as well... one of Ray's/Poppy's sons, Drew and his wife Ashley are expecting a baby in mid August. They don't know the sex and won't be finding out - which will be an amazing surprise. I wish I had the patience! Mom and Ray (Hunny and Poppy) will be traveling to Scotland in August for baby Hammond's arrival! Christmas in Danville will be very fun, albeit noisy if we are blessed to all be under the same roof!

Developmentally the baby looks very healthy. She is about 10 oz. and 6 to 7 inches long. Her little feet are about 3 cm long to give you an idea of how tiny they are at this point... we were shocked because she looked like big foot on the screen! Corcoran women tend to have large feet - so I am sure they may be quite large! The tech measured her in several different places and checked for abnormalities in the cord, heart, brain, spine etc. So far, everything looks perfect!

I am doing well... my blood pressure is very healthy and I had not gained any weight since my last visit. That seems CRAZY as I certainly feel like I am gaining! The doctor says there is no pattern and that is to be expected -usually if you spike in one cycle, you level out in the next. So, I am average and on track. They did not adjust my due date - so we should be on track for around October 12th. I feel great and cannot believe I will be at the halfway mark in just 4 days!

Have a great day and don't forgot to vote!

I will post a photo here from today's ultrasound when I get home from work.

Check out the new page elements on the right side of the blog... a new poll concerning the name and also some pics of the nursery decor we have selected! I will write more after our doc appt on Tuesday. Have a great weekend!

18 Week Ultrasound Photos - It's a Girl!

A few photos to share with you all! The 3D/4D technology is amazing! The video clip at the bottom shows her opening and closing her hands and some of the photos show her playing peek-a-boo and sucking her thumb! The first photo is the one that determined the sex! Imagine that the babe is sitting on a glass table and we are looking up at her bottom... one of her legs is straight and the other one is tucked up under her and is hard to see. Those technicians sure are trained!

Drum roll please......

SURPRISE EVERYONE! Due to a scheduling conflict next week we decided to have THE ultrasound done yesterday! Brad was not going to be able to make our appt on the 20th due to a work training and we were both devastated, so we decided to have an ultrasound done yesterday so we could be together when we heard the big news! Much to our surprise, we have a baby girl on the way! So much for mother's intuition! We are thrilled and I cannot wait to start shopping! My sister leaves today to return to Germany so thankfully she was able to attend the ultrasound appt with us! It was special having her there to say the least. She immediately went shopping and picked up several adorable outfits for our little gal! We probably won't see Aunt MB again until the babe is about 2 or 3 months old, so it was sad to say goodbye last night. Thankfully we got to spend lots of time together while she was here. We will miss you MB and Alex!

We are still thinking we will call her Anna Claire, but have not yet set that in stone. Will keep you posted! The ultrasound was amazing and I promise to post pics here this evening - so check back tomorrow! We had a 4D ultrasound done so we have some great pics and video clips! She was sucking her thumb almost the entire time! We got to see her yawn, kick her feet, wave her arms and open and close her fingers! The tech told me to drink some caffeine before the appt, so I had about half a cup of coffee. Our little girl apparently liked it and was doing flips! It took about 20 minutes or more to get her into a position where the tech could actually make a determination! I couldn't believe how much and how fast she was moving around in there! I am feeling movement now -but just here and there. In a few weeks I should be feeling her every move. I will certainly stay away from caffeine! We have an active little babe on the way! She gets that from Brad - he can't ever sit still!

The place we visited yesterday was a Fetal Imaging Clinic - so the nurse/tech did not offer any medical information. It appears that the baby is very healthy and active! I will have a doctor's appt on Tuesday the 20th and another ultrasound. It will be amazing to see how much, if any she has changed in a week. After that one - we will have more news to report. Maybe she will be a little more calm and we can get a clear shot!

17 weeks etc.

Only 163 days to go! Sounds like forever, but honestly this pregnancy is flying by so far. I am sure I may be singing quite a different tune around July or August, but for now it just seems to be progressing so quickly. Everyone is commenting on the bump and most have noticed and commented that they think I am "carrying high." My grandmother, "Grandmommy" felt and inspected the belly on Sunday and assured me afterward that it was a boy. We shall see in about two weeks! I promise I will post a picture of my expanding waistline later this week.

We spent a fun weekend with my family and really enjoyed visiting with Mary Beth & Alex and Chris at "Hunny and Poppy's." We spent Derby Day at Keeneland and Brad and I won a nice chunk of change on our Derby pick, Big Brown! We are still on the hunt for nursery furniture, names and babysitters, however we have narrowed our name preferences down to a few options. Once we know the sex, I will share! I am feeling great for the most part, but my biggest complaint at this point is back pain. Ouch! Sleep is becoming increasingly interrupted as it is hard to find a comfortable position. I guess that is nature's way of preparing you for a newborn's schedule!

Babycenter.com update:

Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he's around 5 inches long. He can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone. His sense of hearing is also developing. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker.

Might I also add... this is the point where they recommend that you put away the high heels as your balance really starts being affected by the weight you carry on the front of your body. I guess they don't want you to fall or topple over! I haven't given up heels completely, but have been opting for my more comfy shoes... I guess I will have to go shoe shopping soon! ;-)