Blonde Baby in the Bumbo

Love that smile!

Emmalyn Faith is One Month Old!

Time sure does fly!!

Emmie is now ONE MONTH OLD! I can barely believe it! She fills our lives with such joy! This month had so many firsts...first movie (New Moon),first shopping trip, first Thanksgiving, etc. I've loved snapping pictures when I can find the time to grab the camera. She is SUCH a good baby! I just can't get over how easy a baby she is.

Emmie's first shopping trip


Emmie with Uncle Jordan at the ranch on Thanksgiving

Yesterday we went in for her one month wellness check. Turns out our little chunker has gained 1 lb 11 oz in TWO weeks! That puts her at 9 lbs 10 oz!!! OH.MY.GOSH. :D
She is 21 1/2 inches long as well. She is in the 70th percentile for weight, 75th for height, and 25th for head! So funny.

Emmie at one month:

-Laughs constantly in her sleep. Smiles all the time...just not necessarily AT you.

-Loves her bouncer.

-Doesn't mind "tummy time" for about ten minutes or so.

-Would rather sleep on Mommy or Daddy's chest than anywhere else.

-Loves to EAT more than anything else! Eating every 2-3 hours.

Catchin' Up on this Thanks-filled Day

This has been the best three weeks of my life!

Our little Emmie has been a dream! She eats like CAH-RAZY, sleeps consistently (not for really long periods of time yet), and is content when she's not doing either of the first two things. She's plumping up nicely! :D

We came home from the hospital on a Tuesday. She weighed 6 lb, 10 oz. At her checkup on that Friday, she weighed 7 lb, 2 oz! The doctor was impressed since I'm exclusively breastfeeding. Evidently it's almost unheard of for a breastfed baby to gain that much in such a short amount of time. THEN at her two week appt, she had gained an inch in length AND was 7 lb, 15 oz!!!!!!! HOLY MOLY! The doctor said it was probably a record of some sort in all the years of his practicing...and he was no spring chicken!

So, needless to say, Logan and I are VERY interested in her weight gain at her one month appt next Monday. One month. I can't believe my baby's almost a month old. I have enjoyed every second of my days since she was born. We've had our rough days because of sleep deprivation, but it hasn't been NEARLY as bad as I had heard...ya know, those great horror stories of raising children.

When my brother, Drew, and his girlfriend, Louisa, came into town this past week, I got out quite a few times for long periods of time...remember, people, we new moms tire easily.... We went to see "New Moon" (don't hate), AND Emmie slept. We went shopping for most of the next day, AND Emmie slept. Today, we drove an hour and a half to have Thanksgiving with Logan's family and were gone the better part of the day...AND, you guessed it, Emmie slept! I have THE most content baby! I'm so blessed!

Also on this Thanksgiving Day, I want to make sure I say that:

I love watching my baby coo when she's so awake and alert during the day, watching her peaceful face when she's sleeping, laughing at the millions of different facial expressions she makes throughout the day, the closeness I feel with her when she eats, and how good she feels in my arms. Emmie IS my heart now. It's amazing how much I love this tiny creature!

I'm so thankful for what a great baby I have, my success at breastfeeding, my class at church for bringing food, my family for being INCREDIBLE with helping me adjust to motherhood, and the sweetest husband and daddy that anyone woman or baby girl could ask for. Happy Thanksgiving!

THE. MOBY. WRAP.

As a brand-new-first-time mom, I have been experiencing ALL of the self doubt, worry, and overwhelming LOVE for my baby girl that comes with the territory. I love holding, rocking, looking at, and talking to Emmie. I'm tired, but thanks to my mom being here for a little over a week, haven't been TOO tired as of yet. During the day, though, I hate leaving Emmie in the cradle in our living room. I can just picture my sweet, yet overly curious dog, leaping into it to be with her, or her not breathing, or..., or..., or... See what I mean? WORRY.

Then, with Logan working from home today, and Emmie STILL not wanting to quite settle down just yet (she LOVES mornings...def NOT a trait she got from me), I decided to try out...THE MOBY WRAP.

I had seen great reviews for it online and registered for it. After receiving it from my TN shower, I took it home and played with it a little...so I'd be prepared...ya know..all that first-time-mom prep stuff.

Well, ladies and gents, it's FANTASTIC. Emmie's SOOOOOO content, and I'm free to blog...like now...or do anything I want to do. Arms free and my baby girl safe and sound. So, even though I love all my friends out there, you have been bumped down the friends list to make room for the WRAP, MOBY WRAP.

Seriously, get one.

Emmie's Delivery

After having my blood pressure a whole lot higher than normal last Tuesday, my doctor decided that I needed to come in on Friday to check it again. I had no big amount of swelling, small headaches, and no protein in my urine...so I didn't think it was gonna be pre-eclampsia.

Turns out...it was the beginning of pre-eclampsia...and my journey begins......

On Friday at 4, Logan and I loaded up the car with all of our bags just in case we had to stay because of my high blood pressure. I was called back and told him to wait in the waiting room since I just thought my blood pressure would be checked and then get to leave. The nurse took my blood pressure and weighed me. To my surprise and worry, it was 168/92! Yikes! I was told to wait for the dr. She came in and couldn't believe what was going on because I didn't fit into any category for the start of pre-eclampsia and said I was staying at the hospital and having a baby! I texted Logan from the room (he never got it) and called my mom to tell her to get on the road. Next thing I know, they are picking me up at the room in a wheelchair and wheeling me to admitting. Once we hit the waiting room, Logan looked up in surprise. I got to say those famous words every TV mom gets to say..."It's time." Logan said, "NOW?" And I just smiled. He didn't even look nervous!

Once we were admitted and made our millions of calls to let family know where we were and what's going on, they started pitocin at 5:15 p.m. We were thrilled. My mom had been induced with two of her three kids with pretty nice deliveries, so I thought that's how my story would go. Oh, how I was wrong...but I'll get to that.

The contractions started out like I thought they would, a little uncomfortable but not terrible. After breaking my water around 8:00 p.m., they started to get a little more intense and then all of the sudden WHAM...one on top of the other. I was having trouble breathing through them because there was practically no down time. During all of this, my in-laws had been visiting with us in the room...as soon as it got bad...they were great and decided to leave us alone. I immediately called for an epidural and got it at 10:10.

(Meanwhile my parents had actually gotten to catch the LAST plane out of Nashville to Dallas for the night...because it was running LATE. The flight crew had to re-open the door for them to make it in! God is good, and they arrived around 11 that night!!)

My dr came in around midnight to check me, and I was only at a 3 1/2 to 4 and slightly more effaced. I was disappointed to say the least. My family got to visit with me for awhile then went to the apt so we all could rest. Around 4:30 a.m., she checked me again. NO PROGRESS. She informed us that if my body hadn't changed at all by 6:30, we needed to start to think about a C-section. We were worried, but had EVERYONE praying that I would progress.

At 6:30 the doctor came in, and I was COMPLETELY effaced and dilated!!! Incredible! They had me push a couple of times to see how I'd do. They said I was doing pretty well, but I asked to labor down for awhile. Taking a friend of mine's advice, I didn't wanna wear myself out by pushing too early. At 7:15 a.m. my sweet nurse, Shelly, started the whole process with me. Can I tell you how HARD it is to know what you're doing when you've had an epidural and don't know what pushing should feel like?! I tried every position that the dr and nurse could think of. After 2 hours of pushing, the dr suggested forceps. Although I hated the idea, I was too tired to do it by myself any more. (Having the dr use forceps on my baby was something I honestly don't ever want to think about again.) I just closed my eyes and pushed with all my might....and NOTHING. Let me interject that Emmie's heartbeat never wavered during all of this. As soon as we realized my pelvis wasn't giving, they decided they wanted to get her out NOW by c-section. They literally rushed me out of the room to an OR and set everything up within minutes. I kept calling for them to get Logan, but they were taking their time. THEN at 9:53 a.m. he walked into the room, sat down, told me it was okay. At 9:54 a.m. he stood up to take a picture of them taking our sweet Emmie Faith out! She was here.

And then. I . SOBBED. I sobbed with relief, with loving her so much instantly having only seen the picture Logan showed me, and with happiness. She was crying immediately and turned pink so fast! Her Apgar scores were awesome, and she was perfect.

Logan looked at me with tear-filled eyes and kept saying that same thing over and over to me. "Cari, she's perfect!"

So even after 17 hours of labor, a failed forceps delivery, and c-section, I can honestly say I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I now know what I was meant to do. I was meant to be a mama to that sweet, beautiful little girl.

Thank you, God, that she is here and safe!

Emmalyn Faith is here!

Will post more when I can keep my eyes open!

Emmalyn Faith Powell

Born October 31, 2009 at 9:54 AM

7 lbs, 1 oz and 20 in long

An adventure at 37 weeks!

I had quite the adventure today. Dr's appt went pretty well. I had lost a pound (BIG YAY), dilated another cm to 3, and learned Emmie is at a -2 station.

Then my dr heard her heart skip a beat a couple of times while she was listening....talk about scary. She said that it's probably not something to worry about but wanted me to go upstairs to see a perinatologist just to make sure. I sat with the fetal heart monitor on for 5 min then went in for a sonogram. Needless to say, I was just sick to my stomach and didn't know whether to cry or throw up! The technician came in and checked EVERYTHING...from the artery in the umbilical cord, to her kidneys, and of course, her heart. She said that NOTHING was wrong with our sweet Emmie. Sometimes depending on movement of baby, hiccups, what the mom ate, etc it could cause the heart to skip...just like it does in adults at times. WHEW. After taking her femur, belly, and head measurements, we were informed she weighs APPROXIMATELY 6 lb 14 oz and is in 50th percentile! WOOHOO! (I was especially thrilled because MY head as a baby was in the 99th percentile! My poor, poor mom.) The perinatologist came in afterwards and confirmed that all looked good with Emmalyn and told us not to worry. We are so thankful and even got a DVD and pics from the ultrasound to boot!

Side note: So....as the technician was looking at everything she suddenly laughed and said, "GROSS!" My eyes got big, and she informed us that Emmie had just LICKED. THE. PLACENTA. Can you say EW? LOL. All I thought was great...my daughter is a placenta-licker...this is gonna be fun. (must get that from the Powell side.)

36 weeks and a visit from some TN Volunteers

36 weeks, 5 days

Last Saturday, my parents and sister came into town to help me finish up Emmie's room and see me for the LAST time before I become a MOM. WEIRD. It was so fun! We ate our way through the State Fair, went shopping in Allen, and finished Emmie's room.

At the State Fair, we ate famous corn dogs, fried pecan pie, fried caramel apples, fried peanut butter cup macaroons, a turkey leg, etc....and this is between ALL of us, not just the pregnant lady...lol.

Monday I had a Dr appt. My sis and mom got to hear Emmie's heartbeat on the doppler, AND I found out that I was already 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced! The Dr was even shocked since this is my first, and I'm was only 36 weeks! She said that means that I won't go past my due date! Music to my ears!!!

Later that day, we finished Emmie's room! It is cuter than I imagined! Check out the pics below!Thank you, Mom, Dad, and Kenz for the great visit and the transformation of Emmie's room! Hope to see you soon!

To my favorite

It's official. Today is TWO years! Can you believe it, Logan?! That day two years ago really and truly was absolutely perfect and so fun! I have loved every minute of this journey we have started together. Thank you for always being so kind, thoughtful, and loving even when I may not have been so easy to love. Before we met, I never believed anyone when they said that they were "made" for their husband/wife. However, now I live that life every single day. I was made to laugh, go on adventures, struggle through hard times, raise children with, and, most importantly, love YOU. You are my best friend, my favorite, and the most important person in my life. There are so many more things that I feel and want to say, but most simply I say...Thank you.

"What are you doing the rest of your life? North and South and East and West of your life? I have only one request of your life. That you spend it all with me."

I love you.

A "textbook" 34 weeks

This morning Logan and I went to the doctor for my 34 week appt. (I will be 35 weeks on Sunday! woo!) I love this practice of doctors. I have been in rotation meeting all 4 of them, and today I met the only guy with the practice. Gotta say, not usually a fan of having a man be THAT kind of doctor for me; but since I got to stay fully dressed, it wasn't bad. He was funny, easy-going, and was definitely great for Logan to have another man there! :D Emmie's heartbeat was 150 (perfect), and everything was normal!

Can I just interject that as soon as I found out I was pregnant I worried that I wouldn't have as easy of pregnancies as my mom? Her pregnancies and births were pretty uneventful. Thankfully. So, of course, I just assumed I would have just the opposite. Couldn't have two women in the same family with really easy pregnancies, right? WRONG.

I'm "textbook," people. I'm on track for average weight gain, size of uterus, size of baby...ALL pointing to November 8th for my due date that was determined around 7 months ago! I had the normal bout of morning sickness from week 6 to week 11 with only minor nausea. I've had heartburn and indigestion, but other than that, I've been completely comfortable! You can EVEN ask my husband about mood swings, and he would actually say they were minimal!

All that to say, I am so thankful that I've had such an easy and great pregnancy. If my back didn't hurt when I stayed in the same position for a long time, I wouldn't even mind at all being pregnant. HOWEVER, I am so anxious to see my baby girl that I. AM.READY. The pregnancy has been great, but I can't wait for the end result! Being an impatient person has really been hard...BUT only 5 more weeks to go! AND AND AND my mom, dad, and sister will be in town during the next doctor's visit! Mom (for sure) is gonna come with me. She's excited about hearing the heartbeat...and I'm excited to have her there AND see if I'm dilated any already. We'll see what happens...guess I could just check the textbook to see where I'll be! ;)

Uneventful at 32

Today was the doctor visit for week 32! Time seems to be speeding up lately. Everything is normal....boring, even....but I'm not complaining. I feel great besides the whole being tired thing. We got to try to get some more 3D pictures of Emmie today cause she stayed in one position the whole time last time....and it was even WORSE this time! She kept her little hand in front of her face the ENTIRE time. She definitely takes after her Dad in the whole being a "stinker" thing! :D

Here's me at 32 weeks:

Here is mad Emmie (she looks like her Daddy here):

And here's sweet Emmie:

30 weeks in 3D

I turned 30 weeks over the weekend and visited the Dr. today for my 30 week appt. From now on will be visiting every TWO weeks! So glad! Will make these last few weeks go by faster. Dr said everything looks like I'm going to have a textbook pregnancy...I'm measuring and Emmie's measuring right on target. Guess that means I WILL be waiting the whole 40 weeks. :S

Here's me at 30 weeks:

Anyway, at today's appt Logan and I got to see Emmalyn on the 3D ultrasound. We will get a follow up 3D ultrasound next time (at no charge) since we kept getting the same shot of her over and over again. We both decided we think she has my nose and mouth from what we can tell. I even made the tech check to MAKE SURE it was a girl! (I've been having nightmares that when the baby's born turns out to be a boy...and all we have is girls' clothes...lol.)

Only 9 1/2 more weeks to go!

Happy Fall, Ya'll...well, almost....

While the majority of Texans (and Tennesseans) look forward to fall because it's football season, I just love everything about this time of year. PERIOD. Remember as you continue to read that I'm a TN girl...so that means that all these things that I love about the outdoors in the fall generally don't apply to TX until right before Thanksgiving!

Chill in the air, fall decorations (pumpkins, scarecrows, etc), leaves changing color, craft fairs......

OOOOOh it makes me get all giddy just thinking about it.

My fall decorations are coming out of the boxes, ladies and gents, TOMORROW! I mean, technically, it's fall in September. September, October, November are considered fall, right?!?! As soon as I wake up tomorrow morning, I'm putting on some bluegrass...yes, bluegrass...Tennessean, remember? That's the music played at craft fairs and such...and decorating our apt with fall things! (Insert high pitched squeal here). AND to top it all off, I'm getting to go to Canton, TX for the first time EVER...which is like a mecca of Bell Buckle craft fairs...or so I've heard. Anyone else want to go?

Now that I've squealed and giggled writing this whole post, it is now my serious job to convince Logan that it is a NECESSITY that I visit Hobby Lobby TODAY!

Visit to TN

Sorry it's taken me so long to update my blog. We got back from a week long excursion to TN this past Sunday evening. I've been catching up on chores and sleep since then. :)
(I am now officially 29 weeks pregnant and dying to meet my little girl!)

Now on to the update on the exciting happenings in TN.....

Logan, Zeus, and I drove (LOGAN did the driving) through the night last Friday night and got to my parents' house around lunch time on Saturday. We caught up, watched Zeus play with my family's dog, Chigger, and took a nap.

At dinner, my mom's parents, Nana and Papa, and my great-grandmother, Grannie Pon, came to eat with us. As always, Papa and Grannie Pon (his mom) started aggravating each other. We were kidding Grannie about catching another husband (she's had three and has outlived all of them), and Papa made the comment about those men being unlucky. What he MEANT was that they were unlucky to not have had more time with his mom...the way GRANNIE took it was that they were unlucky to have married her! So in retaliation, she turns to my Papa and says, "Ya know, I don't even remember WHO your daddy was!" That's right, folks, and she's 96 years old!!! Those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting my family will now know where I get my smart mouth.

On Sunday and Monday, Logan and I took it easy, went to visit the Holts' pool, and enjoyed being on vacation. I even made dinner for my family that night since it was the first day of school for my mom (teacher) and sister (8th grader).
Tuesday- Logan and I travelled to Nashville to see my dad's parents, Gran and Big-Big. We had a great visit with them then met up with Dave and Christin Ayre (she's expecting in January) and Nate Sensing. The guys are all baseball buddies from college. As always, a meal with Nate keeps everyone entertained, and Christin and I had fun comparing stories about cravings, mood swings, etc that come with pregnancy. Afterwards, Logan, Dave, Christin, and I all went to Gallatin to hang out. We had a blast and can't wait to meet their little bundle of joy!
Wednesday- We went to Murfreesboro to shop and see the "Ugly Truth."
Thursday-We got a tour of the facility where my dad works and got our pictures made by my friend, Allison.
Friday- Logan went to visit his friend, Rob, in Franklin and played golf. My Nana and I went to go to Treasures, our favorite jewelry store. That night, Mom, Dad, MacKenzie, Logan, and I went to see "Hairspray" in Crossville.
Saturday- Emmie's shower! My best friends, Allison and Jill, put on a gorgeous shower at Patch Manor.
We had such a great time, and I can't wait to see them again...most likely in Dec...with our little girl!

Am I Seriously Going to be a MOM?!

Today I went for my first dr visit with my new dr in Dallas. Had the glucose test done...eh....and met the dr and filled out lots of paperwork. Other than that, it was a very normal appointment.

Then WHY do I feel so overwhelmed?!

MAYBE...
because the nurse told me they needed to know who my pediatrician was going to be the next time I came in
(did I mention I have only seen a reg family practicitioner ONCE in the last 10 years?!)
OR
because we did the pre-admittance paperwork for the hospital
(when I realized next time I'm at this desk will be when I'm about to push something the size of a WATERMELON out of something the size of a GRAPE)
OR
because I only have about 3 months before I am responsible for ANOTHER HUMAN BEING!

I have always considered myself pretty responsible, but SERIOUSLY, I'm about to become a MOM. Do you know what a BIG deal this is?! I'm going to have to keep another living thing ALIVE...I have a hard time keeping PLANTS alive. I mean, sure, there's Zeus, but Logan feeds him in the morning. I just take him out. I alone do not provide the nourishment like I will for this new baby.

Whew. Ok. I had my meltdown. I knew it'd come sooner or later. Off to go bury myself in Your Baby and Child by Penelope Leach and any other "how-to-be-a-good-parent-and-keep-your-child-alive" books!

25 weeks

SOOOO much has happened since I've last posted on here. We have packed up our apt in McKinney, moved, unpacked our boxes at our new apt in Dallas, and I'm now 25 weeks along!

Our new apt is absolutely wonderful! I will post pictures of before and after of the apt once we get everything set up.

Our 24 week appt went very well. Emmie's heartbeat is good and strong, and she's moving like crazy!

More about these crazy few weeks later....

Me at 25 weeks

It's a....

Today at 2:00 p.m. Logan and I went to have our 20 week sonogram. We found out that we are going to be blessed with a baby GIRL!!!!! Both of us are completely thrilled! As you can see from the countdown above, her name will be Emmalyn Faith Powell. My mother's middle name is 'Lynn,' but that's the only family name part of it. We love how old fashioned it sounds as well. 'Emmie' will be her nickname.

The sonographer gave us two pictures of her sweet little face. I will be uploading those tomorrow! He and the doctor said everything looked absolutely perfect! We can't wait to meet our sweet little girl who is perfectly on target for my original due date.

NOVEMBER 8...HERE WE COME!

p.s. Here I am right before our appointment at 20 weeks, 3 days.

Pretty...

I LOVE the Dallas Arboretum! There are always new things to see and experience there. I had the priviledge of going with my mother-in-law today, and although it was hot, it was lots of fun! I got great ideas for places to bring our little one to get his/her picture made in the future. I decided to take some shots of some of the flowers.

P.S. I think I'm actually looking like I have a little baby bump! Will post a pic on Wed when we go for our 20 week appt!

Free at last, Free at last

Today is my SECOND official day of summer, and I'm SO loving it! Zeus and I are starting a ritual of getting up at 7:30 to go on a 2 mile walk....any later and it would get REALLY hot. I have gotten so many little things done around the apartment, actually COOKED DINNER for Logan yesterday, and have time to catch up on Facebook! Ah! Life. Is. Good.

ALSO, this week is full of birthdays for my family. Sunday was Dad's; today is Drew's, and Friday is Kenzie's. Whew! I wish I could be with them this week but am so glad we all get to go to Florida in a few weeks instead!

The countdown is on for our 20 week ultrasound...we go in on the 24th...and let's just say not a moment TOO SOON! Logan and I are dying to find out the gender of this sweet baby, so we can start calling him/her by the name we have picked out. Name will be announced on the 24th!

Below is a picture of my good friend, Jaime, and I at Bonham's graduation. We were the cool teachers in our sweet shades...

Tickle, Tickle

I realized after speaking to few moms yesterday that I have been feeling my baby move for over a week now! It feels like something tickling me! I'm so excited about getting to feel him/her...but I know in a few months my lovely sleep time will suffer because of all the punches and kicks.

16 wk Dr. update

All's well with our sweet little baby. S/he is growing at a perfect rate...as am I. Hearbeat was 156...just about the same as last time. On June 24th at 2:00, we get to find out what the gender of our little bug is!

Beaches, Bob Marley, and Bein' Lazy

Found out today that I'll be heading to the beach come the end of June! My mom, Dad, Kenzie, and I (for sure) are going to a little house in Florida. Although by then I'm sure I'll be uncomfortably warm, the opportunity to visit one of my favorite vacation spots with family is just too good to pass up!!!

Those of you that are feeling sorry for Logan...don't. He's headed to South Beach, Miami VERY soon for the opening of one of Forza's stores.

The difference in our trips to the beach is....Logan-luxury, busy, city life
Cari-Bob Marley, no schedules, and
spendin the day in the sun

Dallas, here we come....again.

Logan and I have been looking for another/bigger apartment to move to before the baby comes. We found one! It's at the Reserve at White Rock in Dallas. There are walking trails to White Rock Lake, and it's only 10 minutes to Logan's work and school. This will give him more time to spend with the baby and me instead of in commute to and from. I'm so thrilled I'll get to see him more, and he'll be able to sleep more! We plan to move mid-July...which means...I better get to packing!

Below...for those that are curious...is the floorplan to our new apartment. It's 1560 sq. ft.

15 weeks and counting!

I'm three weeks away from school being out and 15 weeks along in my pregnancy! Life is great! No morning sickness, only a little tired, still wearing all my clothes legitimately (no rubber bands or belly bands), and it's gorgeous outside.

I have definitely been drooling over the sweet baby things every time I walk into ANY store with a baby section. It's sooooo tempting to buy little girl things, but I only have to wait 5 more weeks to find out for sure what we're having!

On a different note, my summer is going to be jam-packed full of things to do. I'm going to see the family June 9-16, moving to a new apartment sometime in July...which means I will have to decorate and organize all over again..., hoping to go on a quick roadtrip with one of my friends, and working (hopefully) a little to keep myself from going crazy in an apartment.

And TOMORROW I have to take my Spanish oral proficiency test....wish me luck!

12 weeks, 5 days ultrasound and blood test results

Here's our beautiful baby at almost 13 weeks! I got the lab results back yesterday and today from my regular Dr. and specialist. Baby and I are perfectly healthy...except I have a touch of anemia. Dr. called in some iron supplements, and I'm feeling much less tired! All in all, a great last week and a half!

This next pic is my favorite because the profile is so great...

And here's the last one...

For those of you who haven't checked out the video of the ultrasound in the post below, you can see her kicking, swallowing, yawning, and hiccuping!

My next appointment is May 26th. We will get another ultrasound mid-June and hopefully find out the sex of the baby for sure then!

It's a girl???

On Wednesday of last week, we went to see our regular doctor for bloodwork and to hear the heartbeat of our sweet baby! It was so incredible hearing that sound coming from MY body! WEIRD.

On Friday, we went to the perinatologist to do a prenatal screening to check for Down's syndrome and two other chromosomal abnormalities. This procedure was a breeze. All they had to do was prick my finger for some blood and do an ultrasound to measure the nuchal fold (back of baby's neck) to check for Down's. Dr. said everything looked perfectly healthy, and he asked us if we'd like to hear his guess on the sex of the baby. He has been doing this for years....but I'm only 13 weeks...so I know it's a VERY big guess at this point. However, he believes we're having a baby GIRL!!!!!!!! We are both thrilled to death with either sex, but I want a little girl first SOOO badly. Always have.

Anyway, here's the link to the ultrasound of our baby at 12 weeks 5 days.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO830wW1B4w

You can see the baby swallowing, kicking, and hiccuping!
I'll post the few still pictures we have as well soon.

Surprise!

On March 6th, Logan and I were surprised to learn that we were expecting! Here we were planning to keep it just the two of us for another year or so....and then SURPRISE! We are thrilled to death to announce that on November 8th of this year our little baby will be making his/her appearance!

On April Fool's Day, we got to see our baby for the first time on ultrasound! H/she is absolutely perfect! You can see how gorgeous our baby is already....

I'm a little nauseous all day long and TIRED all the time, but the excitement of having our first baby keeps me going.

Stay tuned for updates on our little rascal!