The Bump Appeareth (21 Weeks)

At long last, our little girl has made herself manifest. Over the last 2 weeks, my belly finally "popped" and I have gratefully moved from looking like a girl with a beer-gut, to one that is obviously pregnant.

Our little girl keeps getting stronger and stronger and we frequently enjoy feeling her kick and move about. I bought her first little dress and a few other items this weekend and we can't get over how small they are! We've both been caught lingering in her closet looking at her little clothes... I also made some cute little flowers for her hair--I tell you, the fun is endless!

Now that I'm half way there, here are a few of my thoughts on pregnancy thus far:

1.  Thankfully, I haven't been sick at all, only extremely tired. When I'm at home, I'm awake for about 4 hours before I need a nap and if I could get away with it at work, I would definitely crawl under my desk for an afternoon snooze. I keep waiting for that 2nd trimester burst of energy that I've been reading about but, it evades me. I am anemic so, hopefully the iron supplements will help me feel less like a zombie.

2.  My taste-buds have definitely been changing. Some days certain foods sound great, and others, they make me wrinkle my nose. Fountain soda tastes better than canned and eating salad has become more of a chore than enjoyable.

3. The weight gain and change in my ability to run and exercise like I'm accustomed to has been hard. I've worked so hard over the last two years to be able to run a few miles and enjoy it (most of the time). Now, I run and the 12 pounds I've gained so far feel like 50 and my hips and knees hurt the whole time. But, I just do the best that I can and think about our sweet little girl and that takes the edge off. :-)

4. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be a mom and to share this journey with Jeff. It is humbling to realize the depth of our new responsibilities (which we are only now starting to grasp) but, I'm so looking forward to growing with Jeff in that way. I'm looking forward to having something more important than my work and am grateful that I'm in a position that's so flexible that will allow me to work when and how I want.

5.  I cannot wait to see Jeff as a Daddy--from the first shock of what fills the diapers to those fun and tender moments as he interacts with her--there isn't much that would make him more attractive to me than he all ready is but, I'm sure this will!

What a blessing it is to have this little lady in our lives. We can't wait to have her in our home in just a few short months!

20 Weeks Later...

...We know that It's A Girl!

We had our anatomy scan today and were greatly surprised when the nurse said right away...It's a Girl! Jeff and I, both, were sure that it was a boy but, we are extremely excited about our little lady! She's a healthy 12 ounces and "looks perfect." I think Jeff was in shock for most of the day but, he came home tonight and asked how his girls were doing so, I guess that means it's sinking in!

For our most interested followers, check out the video of our little miracle:

She's a sleepy-head, like her mommy. We woke her up and watched her try and get comfortable enough to fall back to sleep. You can see a big yawn in the video and her right had seems to hang out by her face a lot--we're thinking she's a thumb-sucker!

It's now time to start shopping! I'm really looking forward to that! (Especially since maternity clothes shopping is the pits!)  And teaching Jeff all about tea parties, Disney princesses, barbies, etc... :-)

A Thump for Daddy

Jeff was finally able to feel the baby kick last night. It was weird and wonderful. Only a few more days until our "it" becomes "baby girl" or "baby boy!"