Sugar and Spice

 

After about 10 minutes of me flipping from my back, to my left side, to my right side, and back to my back, baby finally revealed to us that it's a SHE! She was curled up facing my spine and then of course the umbilical cord kept getting in the way (I still can't believe I have an umbilical cord inside of me!). Of course! I knew she'd be stubborn ;) I was getting really nervous we weren't going to get to find out, but luckily after all of me moving around and the u/s tech putting on some pressure and shaking the probe, we were able to see! I of course kept saying, "really?? It really is a girl??" and then checking on J to make sure he was okay! ;) Neither one of us was very surprised since we both had a feeling we were going to have a girl, but it was still crazy to actually KNOW! I had to ask him later what the tech said when he told us because it was such a blur to me. I then asked the tech how sure he was (I've heard that sometimes these places can only tell you they are only so much of a percentage sure, but can't tell you 100%)- he then told me he was 100% positive this is a girl. And looking at the picture, I have to agree! If not, I'm going to have lots of girl clothes to return ;) Of course we have just been thrilled about this baby since we found out, but now our excitement has multiplied knowing that we are having a girl and we can finally say "she" and "her" now. We are still working on a name, but it will be nice to actually be able to refer to her by name, too. I just know this little girl is going to have J wrapped around her finger. Can't wait to meet her in about 5 months!!

What's it going to be?!

(one of the many) questions all pregnant women get- "are you having a boy or a girl?" OR "Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Well, unbeknownst to everyone else, J and I are finding out THIS WEEK! Ah, I am so excited. Our 3D ultrasound appointment is Thursday, the 29th, in the afternoon. I can't believe we will know THIS WEEK (that is if baby boy or girl is cooperative and all goes well!). We were just talking yesterday how weird it is that we are already to the point where we can find out and will know in just a few short days! Anyway, back to the not telling anyone part. The reason why is this- we knew we didn't want to do a gender reveal (keeping the pregnancy secret was hard enough and I don't want to have to keep a big secret if I don't have to!), but I also knew I wanted to be able to surprise everyone with the news. So by not even telling anyone about the appointment, I'd say they are going to be preeeeetty surprised!! And then if we aren't able to get a good picture and can't find out (hopefully this will not be the case! Baby, do you hear me?? :), then we also won't have to deal with all the questions or disappointing anyone anxious to know. Plus,we only have to wait a few more weeks when we have our anatomy scan at the doctor's office where they should be able to tell us if the 3D doesn't go as planned (unless baby is really uncooperative! Or stubborn like BOTH of it's parents- yes, we might be in trouble ;). And this might sound bad, but I have a girls shopping trip this weekend to the outlets in Pigeon Forge and this was one of the main reasons I wanted to find out early- I just cannot wait to start shopping for this little bean!

Now, I really don't buy into these Old Wives Tales at all and I fully realize there is a 50/50 chance of guessing right, but I thought it would be fun to see what these say and see what the actual result is!!


Chinese calendar: Girl
Heartbeat (faster than 140 bpm = girl; slower than 140 bpm = boy): almost always in the mid-150s- Girl
Morning sickness (very sick = girl; not so sick = boy): I’ve definitely had morning sickness, but not so bad, so I’ll say- Boy
Skin (breakouts = girl; clear skin = boy): ugh, yes. Girl
Leg hair growth (no more than usual = girl; lots of growth = boy): (really?!) Girl
Cravings (sweet = girl; salty = boy): Girl
Bump position (high and wide = girl; low and centered = boy): Since I’m not really showing, I feel like it’s hard to say. At this point, I can’t tell and just feel like it’s low and wide! Ha! No answer for this one.
Breast growth (lots of growth = girl; not much = boy): Girl
Mayan calendar: Boy
Sympathy weight (if your husband gains weight during the pregnancy = girl; if he doesn't = boy): I might get in trouble for answering this! I haven’t actually seen him step on a scale, but so far he is definitely eating more for 2 than I am!- Girl
Which side do you lay on when resting (right side = girl; left side = boy): almost always left, Boy
"mother's intuition" says- Girl

"father's intuition" says- says he feels like it's going to be a Girl, but I think he's really hoping for a Boy, so we'll say Boy for him

Girl: 8

Boy: 4

Actual results in tomorrow!!!

(Sweet) 16 Weeks

 
How far along? 16 weeks...and starting to actually show a little! (I feel like this might be false advertising- I think something was going on this particular day or it was the top- I don't usually show this much yet)

Maternity clothes? not yet, but definitely getting closer. Broke down and bought a belly band last week... and I'm not buying anything new that can't grow with me for the next several months!

Movement? maaaybe! There haven't been any profound movements, but I've felt a few things that I'm thinking might be baby. I hope so anyway :)
Cravings? candy! 
Anything make you queasy or sick? nope

Sleep? not great, not terrible
Best moment this week: several this week- pregnancy related and not. Was only nauseous two days out of the week- major improvement! Had a really fun weekend- got to see Mary Poppins at TPAC, Lauren and Emily got to hear baby's heartbeat on the Doppler, and FINALLY got to see the Hunger Games! :)
(by the way, I fill these out at the beginning of each week, so my "best moments of the week" are technically for the week prior)

Gender prediction: I really don't know! I can most easily picture us with a girl, but I don't know if that means anything. And I still hope for a girl for J, but I know he really wants a boy. And part of me thinks it could be...50/50 chance! Either way, we will know SOON!!
Labor signs? nooope
Symptoms? getting SO much better! Although I feel like I'm getting more emotional as time goes on...lucky J ;) and heartburn still shows up every now and then

Belly button in or out? Still in. And I'm thinking it might be for a while, since I'm already 4 months along and not really showing at all!

What I miss: I can already tell I'm going to miss hanging out on patios with a cold beer or a frozen margarita...but I'll pass those up and take a frozen virgin drink (or lime popsicle!) any day for this little miracle!
What I am looking forward to: really feeling the baby move and learning if we're having a he or a she!!
Weekly wisdom: This also goes with the last question. I am learning that you are always looking forward to the next big thing in pregnancy (1st ultrasound, 1st time to hear the heartbeat, feeling baby move, finding out the gender, meeting the baby)- so while I am DEFINITELY looking forward to all of this, I also want to make sure I soak up this time while my baby is growing and developing and not wish any of the time away!
Milestones: just moving right along...baby is now about 4.5 inches long (or the length of an iPhone!)

Places to go...

So, I was going through my junk things-that-need-to-be-put-away drawer at work yesterday and ran across this list. 

J and I had been talking about planning a trip for the Spring, and I made this list a day or two before we found out we were expecting. I guess this list is just going to have to be put on hold! And I am totally fine with that! Hawaii and Europe will always be there :) But it got me thinking about how grateful I am for all J and I were able to do and see while we were dating and in our first two years of marriage. Our first trip together was to Atlanta, then Chicago. Since then we have taken some amazing trips. We've been to Oregon, California, New York, Hawaii, London, Paris, and Italy! I really want to take time to write in detail about each of these trips. I always find it helpful to read about others trips- their itineraries and experiences. Plus it will be an easy way for us to look back and remember these trips we've been so fortunate to take. But until then, here are just a few photos from our trip last Fall to Europe :)

London

The London Eye and Big Ben

Seeing Big Ben was a lifelong dream of mine...seriously.

Tower Bridge

 

Paris

at the Louvre

Notre Dame

Venice

wine and pizza...yep, we're in Italy!

Florence

El Duomo

Amazing paintings inside the dome

Cinque Terre

Vernazza

Pesto spaghetti- highly recommend!

Pisa

Siena

2 year anniversary!

Rome

Vatican Museum

Sistine Chapel

Outside St. Paul's from the top of the dome

St. Paul's Altar

Trevi Fountain

Naples & Pompeii