21 Weeks

I am really late for this one but between the BabyQ Reveal and having Grandpa Mike and Marilyn here it got pretty crazy!  What a week and now that it's out I will tell everyone on here, we are having a little Girl. 

So when we had our a/s ultrasound the one thing Katie couldn't tell was whether or not we had a little girl or boy in there.  All through the ultrasound she kept saying, I think but can't be sure or the umbilical cord is really in the way.  We took our envelope and went home without hesitation but as the day wore on we got more and more nervous about Katie's comments and the fact that the results in the envelope were "unsure", how could we do a cake reveal like that!?  Danny and I decided we would open the envelope together and move forward from there.  We went to Old Chicago (for a piece of Chicago during this) and gave the waitress the piece of paper, we asked her to bring back shirley temples if it said girl and sprite if it said boy.  She came back a few minutes later with nothing, just as we suspected, and said I am so sorry there is nothing written on that paper.  I gave her the pictures that were included in the envelope, in case there was some evidence there and back she went.  She did come back with two SHIRLEY TEMPLES, we were having a little girl!!  But she had the same warnings as Katie as she requested we look at the pictures before getting too excited.  Just as we suspected, it said "I think I am a girl", what would the bakery have done with that :)  We sat stunned for a few minutes as we really thought it was a little boy giving Mommy all those problems in there but after those couple minutes we had tears in our eyes and huge smiles on our faces.  A precious baby girl!  Danny's first words were "do you know where we can buy a chastity belt".

Danny and I really wanted a special Reveal for our families so we decided to opt for an optional 3D/4D ultrasound to confirm the results.  We went to the clinic, sat in the big comfy bed (leather couch for Danny) and the tech got down to business.  He said "wow, no confusion here, see these three lines - it's a girl"!  We got to see our little girls cheeks, lips, little fingers, shoulders, etc, etc - she was absolutely perfect.  We went home that night and decided on her name. 

We did tell our families that we found out that night and asked my Grandma to cut the cake, as all the little ones stood around (Katie and Qui in their pink outfits - their votes), out came that bright pink frosting and all the smiles from our families.  Shortly after we announced her name, Braelyn Samantha Sax, Samantha after Grandpa Sam on Danny's side and Braelyn  was a combination of Brian (Danny's middle name) and Lynn (my middle name).  After finding this out Grandma Nancy sent me an email with the name meaning: Braelyn comes from the Welsh word which means, "Name's original meaning: "Strong; virtuous, honorable." Irish word which means, "strong ." 

Baby is measuring at the size of a Banana this week!  

"Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion, and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, if baby is a girl, her womb is now stocked up with her lifetime supply of six million eggs (the number will drop to around one million by birth)."

How far along? 21 weeks and 11 days today (I think).

Maternity clothes? A little Old Navy maternity shopping never hurt anyone ;)

Stretch marks? Still none yet, keep 'em crossed! 

Sleep? I have noticed I am clenching my fists in my sleep and have been waking up at all hours with hand cramps, pair that with the bathroom breaks and general tossing and turning... not so much sleep.

Best moment this week? Announcing our baby girl to the family!

Food cravings: Not really?

Movement? Braelyn decided not to move for a couple days and scared me to death but she is back with some fierce kicking and pushing.

What I miss? Sleeeeeeep, I guess I am just getting myself used to things.

What I'm looking forward to: Week 24 - Viability!!

Milestones: Finding out we are having a baby GIRL :)

20 Weeks

Monday we had a perfect 20 week appointment!  We went with Kate, our ultrasound tech, to the back to see our little one.  Wow was there lots of movement, Katie said it's like playing tag :)  She was amazing, going through each part of the baby telling us what she was looking for and what she saw.  Babies brain, heart (all 4 chambers), diaphragm, kidneys, bladder and then arm/leg bone measurements were perfect!  Katie said everything looked great for me too with the placenta and umbilical cord.  We got the best picture of babies little lips and nose, Katie was excited because she could rule out cleft pallet, but we were excited to see those perfect little features!  Afterward we met with Noreen, on of the midwives at our practice, and she brought us back to go through all the results, she gave us an A+.  We talked a little about labor and she recommended the Bradley class so I am looking into that now.  She also told us a lot about the hospital and their practices, all in line with what we want!  After our long talk we got to hear the heartbeat again, so perfect, and left with big smiles!

I can't believe we are halfway, I am excited to be halfway to meeting our little Juju but nervous that we are already halfway done.  We finally got to order our nursery furniture and will be ready to paint as soon as we have our Reveal so at least baby will have a room :)

Baby is measuring at the size of a Cantaloupe this week!  

"Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid."

How far along? 20 weeks and 5 days today.

Maternity clothes? We are making a trip to the Motherhood outlet this weekend to try to pick up a few more things.

Stretch marks? Still none yet, keep 'em crossed! 

Sleep? The tossing and turning isn't stopping but I have also started waking up to use the restroom and my brain starts going and can't stop.  Come on sleep I need you now :)

Best moment this week? Seeing such a healthy active baby and hearing a strong heartbeat at our 20 week ultrasound!

Food cravings: Boneless buffalo wings, it FOOTBALL season!

Movement? Lots more movement and Danny even felt a little something.  I have tried a couple times since to call him over when I am feelings lots of movement but it always stops when you put your hand on my tummy.

What I miss? Not having a stuffy nose :)

What I'm looking forward to: Our big Reveal party with the family on the 19th...I just can't wait :)

Milestones: We are over halfway to seeing our little Juju bean!!

19 Weeks

Not a bad week, finishing up with the Lewis' but then Madds got neutered and had his umbilical hernia repaired yesterday, poor guy is having a hard time.  Danny got to see a friend from Buffalo Grove, missed you Reed, yesterday but I was too nervous to leave little man after his surgery so I stayed home.  On to little Juju bean this week:

Baby is measuring at the size of a Mango this week!  

" Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil, and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid."

How far along? 19 weeks and 6 days today.

Maternity clothes? Yes and it may be time to hit the maternity aisle as my normal clothes I was still wearing are getting tighter, it won't be long before it's strictly maternity clothes. 

Stretch marks? Still none yet, keep 'em crossed! 

Sleep? Still tossing and turning but have had a couple really good nights of sleep lately, hopefully I am getting used to side sleeping.

Best moment this week? The best moment is still feeling little one, we can't wait till Monday when we get more pictures at the ultrasound!

Food cravings: Pretty much the same, I do need some new drinks ideas (without caffeine please).

Movement? The little bubbles and taps are still there.

What I miss? Not much this week, I can tell soon I am going to miss being able to shave my legs in the stall shower :)

What I'm looking forward to: A relaxing weekend and we are starting our registry because we have done a lot of research and I want to make sure to get that stuff on there.  We will update after our big Reveal!

Milestones: Half way TOMORROW, can't wait!!

18 weeks

What a wonderful, busy weekend!  Friday we spent the evening with friends, the boys golfing and the girls eating (of course :)).  Saturday we spent the morning getting some stuff done around the house, picking/setting up Juju's changing table (first piece of baby furniture, yay) and then Aunt Barbara, Uncle Bobby and Cousin Allison were in from Philly so we met them for dinner in Cherry Creek at Hillstones.  Sunday morning I woke up feeling great so we took the puppies for a walk and then went to breakfast at The Buff in Boulder with the family again, Danny saw it on the Food Network so we had to go :).  After that we walked around the CU campus and then Pearl street exploring Boulder.  Afterwards we left to go on home while they went up to Estes Park for a bit before meeting back up for dinner in Boulder.  What an experience that was with the early evening lightning storm that came in :)!

PS- If you get a chance, stop by Two Spoons Gelato...YUMMMY!!

Baby is measuring at the size of an Sweet Potato this week!  

"Baby's become amazingly mobile (compared to you, at least), passing the hours yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing. And baby is finally big enough that you'll soon be able to feel their movements"

How far along? 18 weeks and 8 days today.

Maternity clothes? Absolutely am and now I need more.

Stretch marks? Still none yet, keep 'em crossed!

Sleep? I have been doing a lot of tossing in turning because sleeping on my side doesn't come natural. 

Best moment this week? The best moment of the week has been feeling little one moving all around, I don't feel it all the time yet but I sure do love when I do!

Food cravings: Back to my Mexican favorites (Chimi's, yumm!) and still icee's.

Movement? The little bubbles and taps have arrived!

What I miss? We did get some sushi, cooked of course, so that's taken care of.  Now I just miss sleeping on my tummy.

What I'm looking forward to: Next weeks a/s ultrasound (Monday) and tonight's baseball game with everyone.

Milestones: We are almost at the halfway point and after that the big V-Day!!

Just a couple things

What a long but wonderful weekend in Indiana!!  Sarah and Eric's wedding was beautiful, Sarah was gorgeous and the reception was so much fun!   During the plane ride out there (Friday the 22nd) I had a cran apple juice and shortly after I started feeling some little taps, YAY!  I felt more "taps" sporadically through the weekend and a couple more today, very exciting. 

We also got a call from the Midwife today with our 12/16 weeks NTS testing and everything came back wonderfully, nothing at all that they had a concern about!  I also switched our A/S ultrasound to Monday the 8th because of some scheduling difficulties and I cannot wait to see our little JuJu bean again :)

17 Weeks

I am going to get back on track with these and since we are leaving at 4am tomorrow for the Eisenberg Wedding (YAY) I figured I better knock it out today!  Our fun news for this week is that we have picked out our crib after an hour in the crib/rocker section at Babies R' Us.  Danny also decided he loves Monkey's for little ones room :)

Baby is measuring at the size of an Onion this week!  

"Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it.  The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes now feature one-of-a-kind prints."

Right before 18 weeks at Sarah & Erics wedding!

How far along? 17 weeks and 5 days today.

Maternity clothes? Oh yes and trying to fit into a dress for the Rehersal dinner tomorrow night.

Stretch marks? None yet, keep 'em crossed!

Sleep? I got a new body pillow and this coupled with the Chiro, really seems to be helping.

Best moment this week? I am sure this moment will be over the weekend since we are getting to see so many friends but so far it has been picking out the crib and seeing all the support and love we have with our family and friends!

Food cravings: I may have started something new with mashed potatoes and gravy last night.

Movement? Still hoping this will happen soon but I have been told it's an average of 20 wks and we are still a couple weeks away from that.

What I miss? Sushi more this week, we may have to get some cooked rolls soon.

What I'm looking forward to: The WEDDING :)

Milestones: Almost being at our 18wk, hopefully getting all the NT tests back next week.

16 Weeks - I know, I know :)

So I meant to post this after the Dr's appt on Friday so I had exciting news to tell you but we met with a photographer I am doing a special project with and then got busy with the weekend.  We are excited to be getting closer to that 20 wk mark but can't believe it's almost halfway over.  We have started baby shopping and are getting very excited about all the supplies.

A little teaser pic from our 16wk session

Baby is measuring at the size of an Avocado this week!   

"Watch what you say...tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean she can now pick up your voice. A few more minuscule changes: Eyebrows, lashes, and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming."

How far along? 16 weeks and 9 days today.

Maternity clothes? Officially in maternity clothes now, I can still fit into my jeans but they just cut into my tummy too much. 

Stretch marks? None yet, fingers crossed!

Sleep? The Sciatic pain has gotten much better so sleeping has gotten easier, still some tossing and turning from trying to keep off my tummy.

Best moment this week? 16wk Dr's appt and hearing the little one's strong heartbeat again!

Food cravings: Nothing big this week, my Chiro said I needed to up my protein intake so the Luna protein bars have been my go-to snack but not what I crave.

Movement? Still nothing, I have been told this happens on avg. at the 20th week but I am getting anxious.

What I miss? All our friends and family in the mid-west, this week I have gotten more emotional and am really missing everyone!

What I'm looking forward to: The second week of August for our a/s ultrasound, we can't wait to see out little one again :)

Milestones: Morning sickness seems to be G-O-N-E, this is big big news!!