The Final Countdown

Welp. It is official. We are in "final countdown" mode for Miss Adalee's arrival, and we couldn't be more excited - or nervous - or happy - or anxious! Basically, we have a lot of emotions happening right now!

At 35 weeks, we had our follow-up sonogram appointment with the perinatal sonographer. At our 32 week sonogram, the doctor and sonographer had determined that my placenta was approximately 0.7 centimeters away from my cervix. We were needing to hear that it was at least 1 centimeter away, preferably 1.5 to 2 centimeters away, in order to consider moving forward with a vaginal birth. Because we were so close to the 1 centimeter mark, my OB allowed us to do one more sonogram at 35 weeks to see if we could get a little more movement.

At our 35 week sonogram, we got just that - a "little" more movement. The placenta had moved to exactly 1 centimeter away from my cervix. For me, this was almost the worst possible outcome. Being right on the line between needing to have a cesarean birth and getting to have a vaginal birth is not a comforting place to be. It would have been so much easier if the decision was clear either way. To make matters more stressful, we had a week and a half to dwell on the results before we could talk with my OB at our next appointment, as she was on vacation the following week. Michael and I spent a lot of time talking and thinking about the results - going through the pros and cons of both scenarios - but ultimately we wanted the opinion of our OB before deciding either way.

This past Tuesday, we finally had the opportunity to talk with my OB about the sonogram results. After a lot of discussion about the risks and benefits, we ultimately agreed that a cesarean birth would be the safest option for myself and the baby. Once the decision was made, I instantly felt this sense of relief. We have a plan - a plan that will keep Miss Adalee as safe as possible. And that is all I could ask for!

All that being said, Miss Adalee's delivery has been scheduled for December 2, 2014 at 12:00pm (noon) at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. We are in final preparation mode in order to get everything ready for her early arrival! Six days to go...it just seems surreal...

And in the spirit of tomorrow's Thanksgiving holiday...Michael and I have a lot to be thankful for! Here are some photos from the 35 Week Sonogram...

36 Weeks

This week...

Baby Bell is the size of a... honeydew melon! She should still be measuring around 18 inches long and should weigh approximately five and a half pounds - but of course, we really have no idea what size she will end up being. Even measurements from the doctor can be off base by 1-2 pounds! We are just hopeful that she continues to pack on lots of squishy fat in her final weeks!

My bump is... feeling ginormous, like always. However, when November 18th rolled around this week and I saw my note that it was one month until our due date, I realized that I am probably going to miss "the bump" a little bit. There will probably never be another time that I will have Miss Adalee this close to me all day and all night long, so I am going to try to savor the final weeks of this belly!

I have been feeling... accomplished! We have been getting lots of things done in preparation for Adalee's arrival. Her nursery is just waiting on some final decorative items that are being shipped. Her clothes are all washed and organized in her closet. We have finished our childbirth and breast feeding classes. We have slowly been getting other areas of the house organized and clean. And we have even managed to have a few date nights and dinners with friends! With just a few more things left to do, I am feeling at least logistically prepared for Adalee's arrival - even if I am not quite mentally prepared for it!

Here is a photo from our final Child Birth class, where Michael had to wear the empathy belly...
 

I have been craving... milk - too much milk! Michael and I have been going through over 2 gallons of milk a week, and at least 80 percent of the milk intake is from me! Hopefully this means that Adalee is growing some strong bones!

Our favorite thing has been... the wonderful Baby Shower hosted by my friends Alyssa and Gina in Kansas City! The shower was held at a beautiful dessert and pastry shop on the Plaza called Natasha's Mulberry & Mott! It was a great way to celebrate Adalee's upcoming arrival with some of my closest friends! I truly feel so blessed that Adalee will be surrounded by so many people that love her.

We are looking forward to... the Thanksgiving holiday and decorating for Christmas next weekend! We are going to enjoy the final weeks of "nesting" before Miss Adalee's arrival, but we really can't wait to have her here with us!

34 Weeks

This week...

Baby Bell is the size of a... pineapple! She is about eighteen inches long and weighs around five pounds. It is hard to believe that we are only six weeks away from her due date - it seems like just yesterday that we found out we were pregnant - my how time flies! Adalee is quickly running out of space, so almost all of her movements have turned into "rolls" and "stretches" rather than sharp kicks - something I am actually thankful for!

My bump is... feeling a bit "attacked" lately! With Adalee getting bigger by the day, it seems like my insides can't catch a break. She is either moving her body into my ribs, my back, my bladder, or my lungs - sometimes all at the same time! This makes for a very sore belly... Luckily she is starting to move lower in my pelvis, which has given my lungs a break and I can breathe a bit easier, but it also means she is putting more pressure on my bladder - making me have to go to the bathroom constantly! The other night, I am pretty sure I got out of bed at least five times to use the bathroom! Michael went to the point of getting a nightlight for our bathroom because I have had multiple run-ins with the walls trying to get to the bathroom at night.

I have been feeling... stressed - and that is probably an understatement. With the multiple sonograms and doctor's appointments over the last two weeks, I became a little overwhelmed by all the information coming our way. Despite knowing that a c-section was a possibility, when we got the news at our 32 Week Sonogram that the placenta hadn't moved and a c-section was probable, the information seemed to cause me to panic. This information, combined with the fact that Miss Adalee will likely be arriving a lot sooner than we had originally planned, also made me feel very unprepared. For those that know me well, I am a type A personality - needing to have every aspect of my life organized and planned to the last detail. Essentially, I am always prepared - for everything. But over the past few weeks, all of my planning and organization has gone out the window and I have had to adopt the attitude of "waiting and seeing how it goes". After a few chats with Michael and a few chats with my Mom, and a much needed day off work to de-stress and sleep - I can now report that I am doing a lot better. We are focused on checking items off our to-do list, but knowing that we will most likely not get to everything - and that is okay... :)

I have been craving... Nachos! This is probably less of a "craving" and more of a "what is something you have been eating a lot of". With all of the sporting events we have been attending lately - Royals games, Chiefs games, and K-State football games - I have made a point of getting nachos! I could eat nachos any time and any place. In fact, we just had Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner the other night - and what did I get you ask? A chicken salad? A healthy wrap? Nope. I got the Ultimate Nachos. And ate them all by myself. And they were awesome! :)

Our favorite thing has been... working on Adalee's nursery. We finally got around to unpacking all of the gifts we received from our baby shower earlier this month - and all of her things have now been neatly organized in her room. In addition, I was able to wash the clothes she has acquired so far and put them into her dresser or hang them in her closet. Mostly, I just loved playing with her little socks. Michael kept laughing at me for saying "Awww" every few minutes while folding her clothes. I can't help it - they are just too cute! We have also been enjoying our birthing classes,  including our recent tour of the Birthing Center at Shawnee Mission. It was really cool to finally see where Adalee will be born! We got to meet some of the nursing staff and I am confident that I am going to be well taken care of!

We are looking forward to... another Baby Shower this weekend! My friends, Alyssa and Gina, will be hosting a lovely shower on Sunday and I am really excited to celebrate Adalee's upcoming arrival with my friends in the Kansas City area! We are also looking forward to some downtime over the next two weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday is upon us - rest and relaxation is definitely on the agenda!

Our 32 Week Sonograms

We were fortunate these past two weeks to not only have one sonogram, but two! I will talk about the "fun" sonogram first, where we got to see Miss Adalee in 3D!

Leading up to our appointment, I had heard a lot of stories about 3D sonograms - some stories were good, but mostly I had heard stories about uncooperative babies who spent the entire time hiding their beautiful faces! I was hopeful that Miss Adalee would not be shy and that we would get to see her face and a little bit of movement. As you will see from the photographs, she definitely delivered! From the moment the ultrasound started, Adalee was a busy bee! The first thing we saw was a big yawn, during which she threw her head back, arched her back, and opened her mouth super wide! We were also able to see her put her fingers in her mouth, then put her toes in her mouth, the her fingers back in her mouth. We had known that she kept her feet and hands near her face, but it was so cool to see her actually putting her fingers and toes in her mouth - as unsanitary as it sounds! We also got to see her stick out her tongue, wave to us, and even open her eyes - it was one of the coolest moments thus far in the pregnancy! Overall the sonographer said that everything about Adalee looked great and that we have a very active little girl! She weighed in at four pounds and one ounce - right on track for her December 18th due date! We had around 30 photos taken, but here are some of our favorites, as well as a short video of her sonogram...

One of the first pictures we got to see of Adalee!

Big yawn! She was a tired girl this afternoon!

Opening her eyes! Too bad we didn't catch this one in 3D...

Waving hello to Mom and Dad!

Our other sonogram this past week was to determine the position of the placenta relative to my cervix. For this sonogram, we were referred to see a perinatal sonographer, which is essentially a sonographer who specializes in performing ultrasounds for high risk pregnancies. The ultrasound felt the same as every other ultrasound, however, the images were a lot more detailed. The doctor and sonographer took a lot of measurements and ultimately determined that my placenta is approximately 0.7 centimeters away from my cervix. Womp. We were hoping/needing to hear that it was at least 1 centimeter away, preferably 1.5 to 2 centimeters away. Being my emotional self, of course I started to cry, but ultimately I want Miss Adalee to be born in the safest way possible. Our doctor is allowing us to have one more sonogram at 35 weeks to measure the distance again, but we have moved forward with scheduling an early cesarean section in case there is no movement again. It looks like we may have Miss Adalee here sooner than we originally anticipated!

Miss Adalee's side profile at 32 weeks!

A great picture of her full lips - which she gets from Mom!

32 Weeks

This week...

Baby Bell is the size of a... squash! Miss Adalee is weighing in at four pounds, and measures around 16 inches long. She will continue to add around a half a pound per week until she is born. We found out at our appointment last week that she is in the head-down position (at least for now) - which means she is already getting ready for her big trip down the birth canal!

My bump is... a little annoying - if I am being truly honest! I am at the point where everything I try to do has become more challenging - putting on my shoes, getting out of bed, bending over to wash my face, getting into the car, getting off of the couch...the list doesn't end! I am extremely lucky to have such a patient and generous husband who puts up with my complaints and tries to make things in my life a little easier! I will say though, every time I feel Adalee roll over or change position, I can't help but smile and all of the little annoyances quickly fade from memory. 

I have been feeling... like a pregnant lady, with all of the typical 32-week pregnancy symptoms. My heartburn has intensified, but sleeping with my head elevated and taking a few tums each morning with breakfast and each night before bed has started to help. I have also started getting some Braxton Hicks contractions. Basically I just feel a tightening/cramping sensation, usually on the sides of my stomach. Nothing too painful yet and it usually goes away when I move around and drink some water. Knowing that I am not super pain tolerant is making me a little nervous for this whole "giving birth" thing...

I have been craving... ice cream, ice cream, and more ice cream. I am still all about the chocolate chip cookie dough - can't seem to get enough! And I have been using heartburn as an excuse to eat even more ice cream, because it "cools" things down!

Our favorite thing has been... so many things! It has been a busy two weeks, with a baby shower, taking maternity photos, starting our birth class - oh my!

Two weekends ago, we had our first baby shower! It was a beautiful couples shower hosted by my sister Jessica, with help from my mom and Michael's mom! It was great to have our families come together to celebrate Miss Adalee! There was lots of food, drink, dancing, and laughter - I basically couldn't have asked for anything more! During the shower, we also had the chance to catch up with a lot of family members that we do not see frequently - which was really nice! Here are a few photos from the shower...

Jess definitely captured my love of elephants through the shower decor!

The cradle that my Great-Grandfather handmade!

A beautiful baby blanket made by my Grandmother!

Some "Wall Art" from our nephews, James and John! 

Our niece Miriam is even letting Adalee borrow her baby blanket!

Lots of KC Royals outfits! Even one that Michael wore himself
after they won the World Series in 1985!

A big thanks to my wonderful sister for all of her hard work!

Last weekend we set aside some time to take maternity photos with Erica from Anecdotally Yours. We met Erica and her husband Jeff when they handled the videography for our wedding a few summers ago! Erica is a wonderful photographer and we had a great evening walking around Loose Park, taking photos as the sun was setting! Even though Michael was a little on edge about missing the last half of the Chiefs football game, the results are well worth it! Here is a quick preview...more photos to come!

Finally, we had our first of five birth classes last Tuesday. It was actually very informative and helpful, although our instructor is a bit of an "over-sharer". We went through a lot of the changes that my body has experienced, with emphasis on the anatomy side of it. As a former biology major, I admit that I was "nerding out" a little bit! We also covered the first stages of labor, and other important things - like knowing when it is time to go to the hospital! I was so impressed by Michael during the class. He knew a lot of the answers to the instructors questions - which means that he has actually been reading all of his pregnancy books! That is more than I can say for myself! Our homework for this week (yes, we have homework!) is to figure out how we want to communicate during the actual labor - including what phrases will be helpful or not helpful.

We are looking forward to... we have another set of sonograms coming up! One will be for fun - the 3D Ultrasound, where we actually get a 3D image of Miss Adalee! The other is to check on the position of the placenta. We are hoping for some movement - at least 1 centimeter between my cervix and placenta - but we shall see!

30 Weeks

Michael and I are excited to officially share the name of our daughter - Adalee Rose Bell. And let's be honest...we didn't do a great job of keeping it a secret in the first place! We decided pretty early on that her name would be Adalee, and have been calling her by her name ever since. Adalee was a name I had heard in passing many years ago, and for some reason it stuck with me. Luckily, Michael loves the name as much as I do - otherwise a battle may have ensued! Rose is a family name on my mother's side. My great grandmother's name was Rosa and my mom's middle name is Rose after her. We only hope that Miss Adalee will love her name as much as we do!

Now, on to our 30 Week update... This week...

Baby Bell is the size of a... cucumber? Where do they get this stuff?!? A cucumber to me seems small, but maybe they are talking about a species of giant cucumber only found in New Zealand. Anyways...Adalee is weighing in right around three pounds, and measures between 15 and 17 inches. Her skin is smoothing out, while her brain and lungs are continuing to develop. And goodness gracious, can she pack a punch (and a kick!) when she wants to... :)

My bump is... big. There is really no other word to describe it. And we are still 10 weeks out. Which means my bump has the capacity to stretch even bigger. Joy. Pure Joy. She still has some room to move in there, which she takes advantage of all day, every day. It is awesome to not only feel her moving all the time, but we actually get to see a lot of the movements as well - especially at night before going to bed, which is when Miss Adalee is her most active self! I am still waiting to see her hand print or foot print through my stomach - but I feel like it will be coming in the next month or so!

I have been feeling... like I need to get back to being busy. I have taken some time off from preparing for her arrival over the last few weeks. Mostly because we have been out of town so much, but also because I just needed a break! But now a little bit of stress is starting to come back and I feel like it is time to start checking things off the to-do list again. Ten weeks feels like nothing at this point - and there is still a lot to buy, a lot to organized, and a lot to get done! I guess we should get to it...

I have been craving... Mug Root Beer. And lots of it. Throughout the pregnancy, I had been doing a fairly good job not drinking soda - mostly to avoid the large amounts of caffeine. But now that I have discovered caffeine-free Mug Root Beer, I am in big trouble! The stuff is just so good! I still need to control my intake a little bit, because it has a lot of sugar...but one mini-can a day seems okay to me! One craving that I have not given into is having Caramel White Mochas from Starbucks. With the weather turning colder, this is what I want most mornings as a pick-me-up, but thus far I have had the willpower to not stop on my way to work. Let's hope this continues... :)

Our favorite thing has been... simply talking about our daughter and picking out items for her and the nursery. With the main furniture delivered and a rocker on the way (finally pulled the trigger on that one!), it has been fun to start buying some of the little decor items that will make her room special and uniquely hers. We have still been reading books most evenings, and just spending time talking about all the things we want to teach her, and things we can't wait to do as a family of three!

We are looking forward to... so many things! Our first baby shower is this weekend in Manhattan! It will be great to catch up and celebrate with our families! Then, the following weekend we are taking our maternity photos with Erica from Anecdotally Yours, who handled the videography for our wedding celebration! Also, we are starting our childbirth classes the week after that! I feel like we are a little late to the game on this one, but I didn't want to take the classes so early that I would forget the information! My memory seems to be fading a little more everyday as it is...Here's hoping that we learn a lot of helpful information, and that some of the anxiety associated with labor is mitigated!

28 Weeks

This week...

Baby Bell is the size of a... eggplant...already showing her purple pride! She is weighing in at just over two pounds and measures between 13 and 15 inches. Her main focus is to continue developing her lungs and brain, while adding on the pounds!

My bump is... getting bigger each and every week - even though I sometimes don't know how that is possible! She continues to grow and move around as she pleases, forgetting at times that I still need room for my lungs, my ribs, my stomach, my bladder - ya know, nothing too important! Despite the growing pains, I continue to feel so grateful and blessed every time I feel her kick or turn over. Even though she hasn't been born yet, I already feel like I am getting to know her personality through her movements. I am definitely going to miss carrying her with me all day, every day!

I have been feeling... as any pregnant woman would feel at 28 weeks - awkward and uncomfortable. Along with the belly growth comes some aches and pains and general feelings of uncomfortableness, especially when I am trying to sleep. I have also had a sore throat for the past few weeks, which I had blamed on having a cold due to changes in the weather. But after our most recent sonogram, I am starting to think my sore throat was more connected to the fact that heart burn and acid reflux are common pregnancy symptoms when your baby has lots of hair. In case you missed the last post - apparently Baby Bell is going to have lots and lots of hair! I have already begun the search for super cute headbands and bows.. :)

I have been craving... nothing to specific. Michael and I have been doing great with our commitment to cook more at home and not eat out as much. I have been able to try out some great new recipes and some old favorites! Plus, it is officially fall, which means it is completely acceptable to eat crockpot soup multiple times a week - so excited about that! Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream after dinner has become an every night routine - no complaints about that either!

Our favorite thing has been... officially making it to the third trimester! Wahoo! Happy dance time! Twenty eight weeks is a milestone in pregnancy because it is the time when most babies reach viability. This means if Baby Bell were born now, she would be really premature and have a long fight ahead of her, but she would also have a great chance at surviving…over 90%! Of course, we aren’t hoping for her to be born anytime soon - she can take all of the time that she needs! There is still lots and lots to be done!

Also on my list of favorites has been the building of Baby Bell's library. I will be completely honest...I have a "baby-book-buying problem". This problem is compounded by the fact that Grandma Schultz also has a "baby-book-buying problem". However, because of these "problems" we have been able to read a new book as a family almost every night for the past few weeks - and I absolutely love this time! I can't wait to continue reading as a family - I am determined that she is going to be a reader, just like her Mama! Our favorite book thus far...The Day the Crayons Quit.

This past week I also completed my glucose screening for gestational diabetes, which measures the levels of glucose (sugar) in my blood. The test was simple and (relatively) painless. I had to quickly drink a sample of Glucola (basically an orange flavored sweetened drink) that contains 50g of glucose. It didn't taste too terrible going down, but had an awful aftertaste! I then waited a full hour for my body to absorb the glucose before the doctor took a sample of my blood. The test for gestational diabetes came back negative - which is awesome - however, the results did show that I am slightly anemic, which is very common at this stage of pregnancy. We will just be adding an iron supplement to my prenatal vitamins and that should fix the problem!

We are looking forward to... Baby Bell's furniture arriving this weekend - a crib, dresser with a changing table topper, and a bookshelf (for all those books!). Still no rocking chair/glider yet - I just haven't been able to commit! We are really looking forward seeing the early pieces of her nursery come together! In addition, we have a baby shower coming up the second weekend in October with our families! We are excited to see everyone and get to spend some time celebrating our little one!

Baby Bell's 28 Week Sonogram

On Monday, we had our 28 Week Sonogram followup. Most expecting parents do not have a sonogram at 28 weeks, but due to the concerns with my low-lying placenta, we were fortunate to be able to see our little girl for the third time - and let me tell you, there is nothing more exciting!

She has grown so much since we last saw her at 20 weeks! Her whole body used to fit on the sonogram screen, and now we can just see parts of her at a time. Everything looked great, including a solid heartbeat of 148 beats per minute. We did learn something new about Baby Bell - apparently she is going to be born with a head full of hair. The sonographer was actually surprised by how much hair she already had! I was bald until I was over a year old, so Michael is completely responsible for this characteristic! At least we will not have to tape bows to her head! :) Here are a couple more photos of our little girl...

Profile of Baby Bell - Apparently she likes to keep
her feet near her face!

Closeup of Baby Bell's face - So dramatic,
with her hand resting on her forehead!

After we spent some time watching Baby Bell on the screen, the sonographer actually had to start looking for my placenta - which was the entire purpose of the visit. Unfortunately, she did not have good news for us. After lots of prodding and searching, the sonographer determined that my placenta was actually closer to my cervix than they had originally estimated - essentially right on the edge. The hope was that as my uterus grew over the last eight weeks, the placenta would subsequently move higher in the uterus, but that has not happened. While there is still a chance the placenta could move, Michael and I are now working on coming to terms with the fact that Baby Bell will likely be delivered by caesarean section. We will obviously do what is in the best interest of the baby, but I hadn't realized until that moment how much I wanted to have a vaginal birth.

We have been rescheduled to do a Level 2 Perinatal Sonogram at 32 Weeks. So until then, we will just be waiting to see what happens!

26 Weeks

A few days late, but here is our update from last Thursday, September 11th!

This week...

Baby Bell is the size of a... head of lettuce! She is now over a foot long, and should weigh anywhere between a pound and a half and two pounds. She is starting to put on her baby fat, which will make her super cute and squishy!

My bump is... feeling large. For the first time in my pregnancy (and probably in my life), I started to feel a little self conscious about my weight gain. My doctor has said that gaining anywhere from 25-35 pounds during pregnancy is good. Right now, I am "on track" to gain closer to the 35 pound range. While 35 pounds didn't sound like a lot in the beginning, it is different once you start to see the numbers on the scale. Hopefully this is a weird phase of self-consciousness that passes!

Also, speaking of this growing bump, I have been getting frustrated while getting dressed in the mornings (usually when I am running late for work) and all of my clothes no longer fit right. However, I recognize that this is completely my fault - I have been avoiding maternity clothes like they are the plague. I doubt I will be able to hold off much longer.

I have been feeling... excited! We have finally found some time to focus on all things "baby" - including picking out some decorations for the nursery and registering for baby items! It has been fun to envision becoming a family of three! And now that Baby Bell can hear us, I spend a lot of time just talking to her - telling her about what I am doing, about how my day has gone, etc. Michael sometimes thinks I am crazy because I just walk around the house talking to her about anything and everything, but that is okay. When she kicks, I know she is awake, and I feel like I should just keep her in the loop with what is going on... :)

I have been craving... anything that we make at home. With the move and renovations, Michael and I had been eating out A TON - like every night a week for three weeks. Our kitchen is finally in order, and I have no plans to eat take-out anytime soon. So whether it is a PB sandwich or a full dinner meal, I am just happy to be eating things that we have made in our kitchen! For breakfast, blueberry muffins have been a recent favorite of mine!

Our favorite thing has been... seeing Baby Bell's room finally painted. I am not sure if I have already mentioned the nursery colors, but we decided on navy, grey, coral, and white. And elephants. I am super excited about the elephants. If you see the registry, I went a little crazy with the elephants. But I am confident it will come together and be super cute! Here are some pictures of her newly painted room - including her first elephant gift from Grandma and Grandpa Schultz!

We are looking forward to... spending lots of time with family and friends during a very busy September! We have another sonogram scheduled during Week 28 and then we will officially be in the third trimester! These next three months are going to fly by!

24 Weeks

Once again, I am a week late on my 24 Week post from August 28th. Michael and I were moving into our new home this past weekend, so updating the blog fell a little lower on the priority list this week. But at least we got a picture in on time!

This week...

Baby Bell is the size of a... cantaloupe! She is almost one foot long, and has crossed the threshold of being weighed in pounds instead of ounces. While her weight is hard to estimate, she should be between a pound and a pound and a half. We can feel her moving every day, multiple times a day - which has been awesome! 

My bump is... becoming rounder and more normal. I am getting used to having a bigger belly and have grown accustom to using my bump as a resting spot for my arms and hands. I am starting to notice changes in my center of gravity, which can sometimes cause clumsiness, but it is not too bad!

I have been feeling... exhausted! I am so glad that we are officially moved in to our new home and that our home renovation projects are coming to a close. It will be nice to be able to slow down a little bit and focus more on preparing for the baby! Otherwise, no complaints - I am feeling happy and healthy!

I have been craving... desserts! During our last grocery trip, I picked out seven different dessert items from the freezer aisle! Probably not the healthiest decision, but that is alright.

Our favorite thing has been... finishing up the renovations in our home and finally moving in! Baby Bell's room is one of the few rooms left to be painted and I can't wait to see it come together! We also got to go to Manhattan for K-State's first football game of the season! It is always fun to be back in Manhattan and hanging out with family. A Wildcat victory made it the perfect weekend!

We are looking forward to... venturing back to Colorado this upcoming weekend! We had bought tickets to the BMW Championship PGA golf tournament about a year ago, so we are still going to go! Plus, we get to see my sister and Michael's brother and family! It should be an awesome weekend!

22 Weeks

This week...

Baby Bell is the size of a... papaya! She’s about ten and a half inches and weighs about 15 ounces - almost one pound! Grow, baby grow! 

My bump is... feeling pretty big, but I know I am only a little over halfway there! I can only imagine how I am going to feel towards the end of this journey! Michael has been getting a kick out of watching me try to get out of bed in the morning because I can no longer just sit up. Essentially, I have to scootch over to the side of the bed and then kinda roll out of bed. It is awkward...and apparently entertaining...

I have been feeling... so much movement! It has been wonderful to feel her kicks/punches getting stronger and stronger. I can generally tell when she is awake and when she is asleep, which is fun. I also have been using the fact that "the baby is still asleep" as justification for not getting out of bed as early as I need to - not so good!

A few nights ago, I could actually see some of her movements happening on my lower stomach - it only lasted a few minutes, but it was really cool to see! Unfortunately, Michael was out of town so he missed it, but I am sure there will be more where that came from! Overall, I am still feeling good - just trying to keep up my energy as we work through the renovations on the home. I tend to run out of steam pretty quickly in the evenings, which is a challenge when you are removing wallpaper until midnight...

I have been craving... nothing too specific. Apparently, she is not going to be a picky eater - definitely takes after her Dad on that one! However, I have been forcing myself to eat at least one, if not two, bananas every day. During these past two weeks, I have started getting leg cramps in the middle of the night - seriously painful! I am trying to cope by getting some extra potassium in my diet, as well as drinking more water! We shall see how it goes!

Our favorite thing has been... enjoying the reactions of family and friends when we shared that we are expecting a little girl! It has been so fun to talk with our family and friends about our little one and how the pregnancy is going! We have also gotten some really sweet notes and gifts, making us feel so blessed and supported!

I also had a chance to go baby shopping with my mom last weekend when Michael was out of town! We went to Buy Buy Baby and Pottery Barn kids in Kansas City. I have never been so excited and so overwhelmed, all at the same time! There was so much to get that I hadn't even thought about, and then there were so many choices for every item that you "need". How is someone supposed to choose?!?! After the initial shock, it got a little better and I started putting things on the registry. We were able to decide on a lot of the items for Baby Bell's nursery, including a majority of the furniture and the general theme. I am excited to see how everything comes together!

We are looking forward to... making our house a home! We have already started in on the wall paper removal and our contractor is starting the popcorn ceiling removal. It is going to be so nice once everything is done and we can settle in! Until then, we are just going to enjoying watching our place come together! We will also be enjoying the last few weeks of summer before our favorite time of year begins - football season of course! Go Cats and Chiefs! :)

Baby Bell is a Girl!

 

Michael and I are so excited to share that we will be having a baby girl! Even as I type those words, I still cannot believe it. Here is the story of our 20 week sonogram...

On July 30th, we had our second sonogram and anatomy scan. It was so amazing to see how much the baby has grown since our last sonogram at 13 weeks! As I mentioned in my 20 Week post, we were able to see all the different aspects of her little body, including her spine, her brain, the four chambers of her heart, her arm and leg bones, and her tiny hands and feet. Essentially, everything about her was textbook - weighing in at exactly 10oz.

Side profile of Baby Bell

Baby Bell's foot - so much bigger than the first sonogram!

There was never really a question in my mind as to whether or not we would find out the sex of the baby - I am a need to know type of person!

Baby Bell was in an awkward and unusual position during the sonogram. Her spine up was against my belly and her head was on my right side, facing my back. In addition, her legs were crossed and tucked up underneath her stomach and her hands were tucked into her face. Basically, she was in "cannon-ball" position. Of course, this position makes it extremely difficult for the sonographer to determine the sex of the baby. When she told us that it was going to be difficult to determine the sex, I almost started to cry. I was convinced we were going to have to leave the doctor's office not knowing. I think the sonographer could see the panic in my eyes because she started to reassure me that she would do whatever she could to make the baby change positions. We spent the next 30 minutes prodding and massaging my stomach and flipping over from side to side. Baby Bell was being pretty stubborn - she gets that from her Dad (and probably her Mom as well!). Finally she decided to uncross her legs and started to change positions. A few minutes later the sonographer finally felt confident enough to share that we are having a baby girl.

In this photo you can see Baby Bell's two femur (thigh) bones.
The white lines between the femur bones indicate that Baby Bell is a girl!

The moment she said "girl" - I completely lost it. We're talking some serious waterworks! I couldn't believe it and had to keep asking the sonographer if she was sure. With seven boys and only one girl amongst Michael's siblings, I had convinced myself that we were having a boy. Ultimately, I know I would have been completely happy and excited either way, but there is something so special about a "mother-daughter" relationship, and now I am sure that I will get to experience that from the mother's side!

134 days until our due date! Can't wait for baby girl to arrive!

And here are some photos of Michael being annoyed that he had to hold the balloons outside in the heat while I changed out the signs...