Week of Firsts

1. I have officially bought baby girl clothes! Last Saturday I went to a neighborhood garage sale and had fun. The lady had a big box of little girl clothes to dig through and she only charged a quarter per piece! It was a shopper's dream! I purcahsed some other baby things and felt like I was robbing the people outright. I tell you what- garage/yard sales are the way to go! I'm going to another one tomorrow! Then of course, a store I went into the other day had a little sleeper I just loved for half price, so I gave in and it came home with me! I'm still not totally in to all this baby shopping stuff, but I can see how it can get out of hand very quickly!!!


2. We have movement! Tuesday morning I was laying in the bed, delaying getting up of course. I had my arm laying across my tummy when all of a sudden my arm felt a strange throb coming from inside my tummy. I knew immediately what it was! I pressed down with my hand and felt three little movements. I immediately called Steven over to feel, but not in time. I haven't felt anything since, but I'm sure there is more to come!


3. I wore maternity pants for the first time this week. We went to dinner for our anniversary (more on that later!) and I needed something to wear! I've been getting away with gym shorts and t-shirts around the house and unbuttoning regular shorts for when I go places, but there is nothing in the closet when it comes to dressier clothes. I got a steal of a deal on a pair of black dress pants the other day and was proud to sport them to dinner. Hello comfort! Who wants to go back to button flies and zippers?!

And for the latest belly pic....

21 weeks and counting (that's over half way!)

It's a...

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

What a morning of suspense! My appointment was scheduled for 10am with the ultrasound at 10:30am. Well as it goes in the doctor's office, they were running behind. About an hour behind!

They first checked my weight and blood pressure, both of which looked good. I had actually lost 2 pounds and was a little nervous about that, because believe me I'm eating! The doctor said as long as Baby looked good there was no concern, the metabolism will continue to pick up. Then she laughed as she told me that I'd wake up one day and there all the extra pounds will be!

So then to the "subwaiting room" for a little while. They trick you because just when you think you're being called back, they take you to another mini waiting area. Anyway, from there they called us back for the ultrasound, so we got to wait in another area for that. And yet again more suspense, this time thanks to Baby!

After all sorts so poking and prodding around, the technician determined that Baby was nice and comfortable and was not going to move for her to get the right anatomy angle she needed. That was a bit of a problem for Mom and Dad because we wanted to find out if Baby was a boy or girl. We thought we were going to leave the office still not knowing! Apparently an empty bladder gave Baby more room to move and sure enough she showed her backside just long enough to catch a glimpse! Girl it is!! So now the baby is no longer an "it" but a "she!" Hooray!

We have not discussed names at this point, but if I know me I'll talk Steven's ear off about it daily. Plus, we don't know if we'll have one name picked out or a few to choose from once we see her in person! The way we figure it, we've got some time!

So, without further adieu....here's our baby girl!!!

Apparently this is her backside with girl parts showing.

"What's this? Oh, my hand!"

That hand on the forehead better not mean a "drama queen!"

Either rubbing her nose or sucking her thumb!

Looking right at us!

18 weeks

For the past two or three weeks I've had some random "feelings" in my lower belly area. (I guess you could say I'm pretty in tune with myself.) I know the sensations could be muscles, ligaments, and of course air bubbles, but I just can't help but wonder when I'll feel fetal movement! I'll be sure to let you know!

Everyday since I've known I was pregnant, I'd check myself out in the mirror for any signs of growth and Steven would burst my bubble by saying "No, not yet!" I woke up the other day and sure enough, out of no where, was this sign of a little bump. Finally Steven agreed "Yep, it's there!" So, this is my belly picture at the 18 week mark.

Next week we'll find out if we'll be having a boy or a girl! Stay tuned!!

Beach Bound

The last week of May Steven and I headed down to Destin, FL for our annual get away. How fortunate we were that Steven was able to take days off work for a vacation and that we had a great place to go stay. On Saturday we made the long 11 hour drive from Louisville to Destin, making a couple of pit stops along the way of course!

We stayed the entire week and what a wonderful week it was! The weather was sunny and warm for the most part; a bit breezy at the beginning of the week though. We slept in every morning and then headed out to the beach or pool to just relax for the rest of the day. We'd read books, take naps, and people watch (which is so entertaining on the beach!) Steven really enjoyed when dinner time rolled around because he got to man the grill. He made some of the best steaks and brats and burgers ever! Then the last few days of the week my mom, sister, and cousin joined us. It was fun to see them since we hadn't visited in a while.


Steven and I had prayed that the Lord would bless our week and He truly did. There is something about getting out of our surroundings and into the beauty of His creation that draws us to Him. Everyday we'd look out at the sandy, white beaches and glistening, emerald water with its forever long horizon and just be amazed that the God who created all of that breath taking beauty created us and loves us...it's just quite humbling! Steven and I enjoyed our time together, away from work, computers, phones, etc. It was a time to regroup, refocus, and regain perspective; we all know what it's like to get bogged down with the daily routines and demands of everyday life.

Our week came to a close and we made the long trek back to Louisville on a Sunday. We were able to grab some lunch with Steven's parents in Birmingham, so that was a nice bonus!

We were so thankful for our week long vacation and look forward to doing it again next year. But next year our family of two will be a family of three!