27 Weeks

Well, we're almost out of the 2nd trimester...that's so hard to believe...time is going by so fast.  This little guy is going to be here before we know it!!!

This week, he likely weighs about 2 lbs. and is about 14 1/2 inches long (head to toe).  He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and maybe even sucking his thumb (I wish so bad we could get an ultrasound of this!!!).  Since more brain tissue is developing, his brain is more active now.  While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning - with a lot of medical help - if he were born now.  (We're super excited for him to arrive, but we want him to wait a little while longer and finish growing in my belly!)  The rhythmic movements I sometimes feel are baby hiccups, and they may be common from now on.  Each episode only lasts a few moments, so I find it hard to tell if he really has hiccups or if he's just doing hurdle jumps in there.  This is what he's looking like this week.

As for me, things are going great.  I had a slight bump in the pregnancy road this past week (see my previous Ups and Downs post if you're interested in knowing the details on that), but I'm over that and things are fabulous!!  I had my gestational diabetes test last week, and I'll get the results of that at my next appointment, this Thursday 4/29.  It's so hard to believe this will be my last monthly appointment...I start going every 2 weeks after this.

We start our childbirth education classes on Wednesday night...I'm excited and nervous all in the same breath, and I think Jeff's just nervous.  Next Sunday, we're going to the Grand Opening Celebration of The Dr. P. Phillips Baby Place at Winter Park Memorial Hospital.  We are super excited to see the place where we will get to welcome our baby into the world.  It's a brand new "boutique" facility at the hospital, and the event next Sunday is supposed to be a fun time.

In other news, I made a drastic change in my appearance this past Friday.  I have decided that I'm tired of having highlights/lowlights because it's just so much upkeep, and it gets expensive.  So, I had my stylist take me back to my natural color...only it's not my natural color.  I'm going back on Tuesday to get it fixed because it's just too dark and has too much deep red tone to it...not a good look for me.  I've got to get this fixed soon because I can't have pictures of me like this floating around...Harrison will be ashamed of me in years to come!!  :-)

Jeff has so diligently been working on the baby's room.  It's like 99% complete, and knowing him, it'll be finished tonight.  I'll post pictures once it's finished.

We got our first baby gift in the mail yesterday; we got some of the bottles we registered for...it was exciting to open the first gift.  We've been given a few things in the last several weeks, but for some reason, getting a gift in the mail felt different to me...???  Anyway, we are so thankful!!

Well, I better cut this off here.  We've been working on cleaning and preparing for the baby (I guess this is the beginning of the Nesting Phase for us), and I still have a ton of stuff to get done!!  Marlee is overseeing this whole project from the comfort of the back porch...

Have a blessed week!!

Ups and Downs

Being pregnant is and has been so far a great experience for me.  I have been so fortunate not to be burdened with morning (or afternoon or evening) sickness, and I've only had a small issue with sciatic nerve pain.  I feel so blessed!

Last night, however, was a bump in my pregnancy road.  I had a pretty serious meltdown because of all the anxiety I have about having this baby.  Looking back now, it's kind of funny, but it's not really.  I read somewhere once that there is usually an [emotional] incident or two in every woman's pregnancy where the man in her life wishes he could forget it or just remove himself from the situation...mine was last night.  Poor Jeff...he didn't know what to do with me because I was out of control crying and trying to talk, but you couldn't hardly understand a word I was saying.

Basically, this is what it boils down to...I am scared of the unexpected and unknown with regards to having the baby.  Obviously women have babies everyday and many do it with no pain mediciation and little or no child birth education.  Well, I am a worrier by nature (not a good quality, but it is what it is), and I have a ton of anxiety about haivng the baby.  We are set to start child birth classes in one week, and Jeff is less than thrilled about it because he's not sure how he's going to handle it.  He is such a strong person, I keep telling him he'll be fine.  But, like most men that are first time dads, he doesn't know what to expect either and is worried about passing out or getting sick or just not handling it well.  Having the conversation about the upcoming child birth classes just brought on the huge wave of mostly unpleasant emotions for me.

Anyway, this is probably something most, if not all, women go through during pregnancy, whether they talk about it and admit to it or not.  I sure hope that I got all of that out of my system last night, for Jeff's sake and mine.  This is a very exciting time for us, and we have so much to be thankful for, especially each other!!!

After my little breakdown, Jeff started painting in the baby's room again. I awoke to a beautiful surprise this morning...

Can you tell the daddy to be is super excited about the arrival of his baby boy??  I'll post "real" pictures when the room is complete.

Jeff is such a wonderful person, and I am so blessed and thankful for him.  I am an overly emotional person anyway, but he always knows just how to handle me (and if he doesn't know, I tell him...LOL!). 

God is so good; He is so good to me!!!!

26 Weeks

Well, I'm now to the 6 1/2 month mark and I have a belly to prove it!!

At this point in the pregnancy, the network of nerves in little Harrison's ears is more developed and sensitive than before.  He may now be able to hear Jeff and I talking to each other.  He is inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his little lungs.  These so-called breathing movements are good practice for when he arrives and takes his first gulp of air.  He is continuing to put on baby fat and is now up to about a pound and two-thirds and measures about 14 inches (I'm beginning to wonder if this is accurate because my "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book says he's just about 9 inches...hmmmm).  His little boy parts are beginning to descend which should take about 2-3 days.  This is what he probably looks like this week.

In other news, my hip/sciatic nerve pain has subsided for the most part.  It's so much better than it has been for the past two weeks.  Hopefully I won't have that anymore, but I'm guessing the chances of that are slim.  I'm feeling great and just trying to enjoy each day of the pregnancy and his little kicks and movements in my belly.  I find myself asking him to kick me all the time...when he's not moving, I try to move my belly to make him move.

I go for my gestational diabetes test tomorrow.  I'm not really looking forward to that because I'll have to drink this sugary liquid and then sit for an hour before they can draw the blood and do the test.  I'm worried that drinking the sugary liquid stuff is going to make me vomit...YUCK!  I'm sure the test will be fine and the results will be negative, and this will just be one more entry into my weekly log of the pregnancy.

Jeff has started painting the nursery...I can hardly wait for it to be finished; it's going to look great!  He and our good friend Brett put up a chair rail over the weekend, and that just makes the room!  I'll post pictures once he's finished painting.

Well, I guess that's all for now.  Make it a great week!!  :-)

Update on Marlee

As many of you know, my little pooch got pretty ill last week..it scared me and made me very sad.  It's funny how our pets really are like children to us...even when we have children or have a child on the way.

Anyway, last Tuesday afternoon when I got home from work, I was greeted with a horrible smell when I walked into the house.  It smelled of poop, but I knew there was no way there could be poop in the house because Marlee was crated and she's really good about doing her "business" outside.  Anyway, as I was walking Marlee, I noticed her "business" was not like it normally is.  I immediately called up my good friend Alyssa who is a vet tech and told her about the symptoms Marlee was exhibiting (including the vomit episode she had the previous Saturday evening while Jeff was away).  When I came back inside, I noticed that she had vomited in her crate at some point in the day.  Being the overly emotional person that I am, I immediately started crying (like that is really going to help or solve anything, but that's what I do).

Alyssa highly recommended that I take her in to see the vet on Wednesday, so early Wednesday, I headed to the doc with Marlee.  She was gassing me the entire way there, and it was the most offensive smell ever!!  We get to the office, and they take her right back and get her temp and do a stool sample, and the results of the latter test were alarming, so they took her right to get x-rays and do a full panel of blood work.  Of course, I'm crying in the waiting room because I'm unsure of what is wrong with my Marlee.  After a short wait, the doc comes in and said the x-rays didn't show anything except that her tummy and intestines were inflamed and "angry" as he put it.  He surmised that she had a pretty serious bacteria in her belly and intestines and proceeded to give me 5 different medicines to give her over the next two weeks.

On Thursday afternoon, I got a call from the vet's office with the results of her blood work and urineanalysis.  The blood work looked good and all her levels and vital organs looked good as well.  However, the urine test showed that she has crystals in her urine, calicum oxalate which could turn into bladder stones.  They said the Ph level of her urine was low (acidic) and that we needed to re-test in 4 weeks.  They said if the crystals were still there in 4 weeks, they will want to do more x-ryas and possibly ultrasounds.  OMG!!

Well, we've been very diligent about adding a ton of water to her food to ensure she's getting enough fluids to help flush out her little bladder.  They also said we needed to change up her food and put her on prescription dog food that is supposed to also help with the acidity levels.

She is still not 100% back to her normal little chipper self, and that breaks my heart!  I'm hoping and praying that the changes we're making to her diet and the medicines that we're on for the next week will cure all her issues.  I can't stand the thought of her being in pain or having to have surgery if she does develop bladder stones; Lord knows we can't afford on-going ultrasounds, x-rays, and surgeries.

Please keep my little girl in your prayers...she's gotta get better!!

25 Weeks

Head to heals, our little guy is about 13 1/2 inches and weighs about 1.5 lbs.  He is beginning to exchange his long and lean look for some baby fat, and as he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out, and he'll start to look more like a newborn.  He is also growing more hair, and if I could see inside my womb, I'd be able to know it's color and texture.  This is what he looks like this week.

As for me, I'm hanging in there.  I have been plagued with some pretty major hip/sciatic nerve pain over the last week.  Some days are better than others.  I've tried everything I can think of...heating pad, Icy/Hot Patches, stretching, walking, massage, tylenol, sleep, pillows...everything, and nothing seems to make it better.  I know that it's just the added weight I'm carrying around on top of the position of the baby, but it still is not pleasant.

My mother-in-law had surgery this past Friday to remove a brain aneurysm.  She is doing as well as is expected considering the severity of the surgery.  They actually found another small aneurysm once they were in the brain removing the one they went in there to get.  She was in ICU until Saturday afternoon when she was moved to a regular room.  She is on the road to recovery, and we are all so thankful!!  Thanks so much for all of your prayers and well wishes!!!

I'm learning to play golf with my three girlfriends, Liz, Kelly, and Courtney.  We had our fist lesson this past Saturday (sans Courtney because she was off in Puerto Rico getting engaged), and it was a lot of fun.  We learned how to hold the club, proper stance and putting techniques.  This upcoming week, we are supposed  to learn chipping and pitching (I think).  I'm sure to be the next Michelle Wie in no time!  ;-)

~Until next time~

6 Months (24 Weeks)

Wow, already to 6 months...it's odd because sometimes I feel like I've been pregnant forever, and other times I feel like I just found out.  And, I'm so excited to meet this little guy that I feel like the next 3 1/2 months are going to drag by.  However, I know time is going to fly and before I know it, I'll be holding my baby boy!

So this week, Baby Center says that the baby is growing steadily and has gained about 4 oz. since last week...not as much as I feel like I've gained...LOL!  He's just over a pound and about a foot long...when I read that, I started singing that silly Subway commercial..."$5.00, $5.00 foot longs..."  He's still pretty lean, but soon he will start to fill out and plump up.  His brain is growing quickly, and his taste buds are continuing to develop...I wonder what he thinks about the food I'm eating...hmmm.  His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world.  His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will change soon.

This is what he looks like this week.

As for the update on me, I'm doing okay.  I'm finding it harder and harder to sleep at night, and I know that will probably only get worse as I continue to get bigger.  I toss and turn so much through the night, and I'm getting up to go to the bathroom at least 2 times each night, and sometimes 3.  Anyway, I'm healthy and all is well.

HAPPY EASTER!!

HAPPY EASTER!!  Today is a beautiful day in so many ways!  Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was raised to live on this day.  We are free because of his crucification for our sins!!

Jeff and I are up and getting ready for church on this beautiful day.  Each one of us got a little something for the other one for Easter.  Last year I made an Easter basket for Jeff with all sorts of goodies in there, but I ended up eaing most of it.  So, this year, I decided to do something very small...

I LOVE these little things, and we were just talking about them the other night when we saw a commercial for them on TV.  They don't taste like the regular Reese's cups, and at no other time throughout the year that I see these (Halloween and Christmas) do they taste as good as the ones at Easter.

Anyway, so I got up this morning and sat them out for Jeff.  When he came into the kitchen, I said, "Look, honey, I got you a prize."  He smiled really big and went into the pantry to get the prize that he'd gotten for me and here's what he had in his hand...

I laughed so hard when I saw this.  He said, "I knew you loved them!"

I love him...he is so good and I am so thankful to have him!!!

Monthly Check-Up

I went for my monthly check-up yesterday and got a good report.  I was so excited to hear the baby's heartbeat again.  I have to report, though, that I was wrong about what his heartbeat was.  As I said in one of my previous posts, I thought his heartbeat would be 137.  Anway, the little guy was really active while I was at the doc's office, and had his heartbeat up at 152.

As for me, everything is going well.  I measured in at 24 weeks, exactly where I should be.  My blood pressure was good as is my weight gain.

Exciting News

Jeff was able to feel our little guy kick on Sunday night, and he said he also saw my tummy move when the baby kicked.  I was so excited for him to feel the movement and can't wait for the kicks, tumbles, and movements to get stronger and more pronounced so Jeff, and others, can feel/see them.

God is so good!!

23 Weeks...Movement all Around

Well, I'm now into my 23rd week...almost to the 6 month mark.  Little Harrison has been active this past week, but not as active as he was while we were in Vegas (maybe he's already taking after his daddy with his love for Vegas)!

According to BabyCenter.com, this week I should turn up the tunes and dance around to the music.  Since his sense of movement is well developed now, he can feel me dancing.  Because he's now more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), I should be able to see him squirm underneath my clothes (I have an ironic story about this...see below).  Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing, and the sounds that he hears with his increasingly keen ears are preparing him for entry into our world.  Loud noises that become familiar now - such as Marlee's bark or growl (when she thinks she's going to do something) or the roar of the vaccum cleaners (he's not hearing that much..LOL!) - probably won't bother him when he hears them outside the womb.  See what he looks like this week.

Now, on to my side story that seems so ironic to me.  Jeff came down with a pretty nasty cold on Friday night and has spent the better part of yesterday and today sleeping.  Well this morning as I was trying to wake up, I decided to see if I could feel the baby move with my hand on my belly.  Obviously I feel him move all the time, but I am so anxious for Jeff to feel the movements.  So, to my great surprise this morning when I placed my hand on my belly, I felt all kinds of movements.  It was soooooo cool!  I'm ready for Jeff to feel better so he can try his hand on my belly and feel little Harrison's movements.  I just thought it was so ironic that today is the first time I've tried to feel the movement from my belly, and the babycenter message this week said we should be able to now. 

WOW...as I'm sitting here typing this, I can see my belly move when he moves...this is the coolest thing in the world!  I feel so blessed...GOD IS SO GOOD!!

Ok, well, that's about all I have for now.  I go back to the doctor on Thursday for my monthly check-up.  I'm excited to hear his heartbeat again...I'm guessing it's going to be 137 beats per minute.  I was right on the number the last time, so we'll see if my "motherly instinct" is right again this time.

Ta Ta For Now!!
~S~

22 Weeks, Vegas, Baby Furniture

I'm now into my 22nd week of pregnancy, we went to Vegas last Wedensday and came home Sunday, and we got the furniture for Harrison's room.  So, let me get started with the update!!

This week Harrison is about the size of a spaghetti squash and weighs almost a pound...he's starting to look like a miniture human.  His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becomming more distinct, and he's even developing tooth buds beneath his gums.  His eyes are formed, but the irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.  If we could see inside my womb, we'd see that his little body is covered with a fine layer of hair, called lanugo, and he has deep wrinkles on his skin which he'll support until he develops a layer of fat to fill them in.  Inside his belly, his pancreas is steadily developing.  See what he looks like this week.

As for me this week, I feel good.  I feel like my belly is getting bigger by the day (which it is) and becomming more and more noticable.  There's no second guessing now...people definitely know I'm pregnant when they see me.  I forgot to get a 22 week picture on Sunday because we were traveling home from Vegas.

Moving right along to our Vegas trip.  We left on Wednesday, 3/17 and arrived to our hotel around 11:00 pm (Vegas time).  I was super tired, so I washed up and went to bed.  Jeff headed down to the casino for a short time and came back with some extra $$ in his pocket!!!!

On Thursday, we got up early so we could get to the sports book and Jeff could make his bets for the upcoming basketball games...one of the reasons we chose Vegas was because of it being March Madness time, and Jeff has always wanted to be in Vegas for March Madness.  Let me tell you, it was definitely March Madness...in a couple senses of the words.  Vegas is always crazy, but I don't think I've ever seen it as busy as it was when we were there.  It was too much for me...and Jeff too by Friday night.  We were ready to come home on Saturday, but our flight didn't leave until early Sunday morning.

Back to the trip, we spent a good part of Thursday watching basketball games or playing some casino games.  I lost $20 in the slot machine in about 5 minutes (big spender, I know), and then I played Black Jack for a while and had a good time!  Friday, I think I slept about 16 hours of the day, and it was soooo nice.  I went out to Vegas with the complete intention of relaxing, and that's what I did.  We didn't feel pressure to do anything at all, and it was very nice.  We stayed in the room most of the day Friday, and I slept while Jeff watched BB.

As I said earlier, by Saturday, we were ready to come home.  We had had our fill of gambling, and one can only watch so much BB, and we'd seen all of Vegas that we wanted to this time around, so we just kind of laid around and took it easy on Saturday.  We went to bed early (shhh, don't tell Vegas because I'm pretty sure we were the only ones in Vegas who were in bed by 10 pm on Saturday night).  Our flight departed at 6:45 am on Sunday, so the 4:15 am call came very early.  We got back to Orlando around 6:00 pm and were happy to be home in our own bed without people running through the hallway screaming at all hours of the day and night.

Now, on to the furniture...we finally got it home last night, and Jeff worked until almost midnight getting it put together!  It looks sooooo good.  I can hardly wait to get the room arranged and put together for little Harrison.  Here are some pictures...

Boxes have been delivered

Jeff getting started and looking so handsome

Marlee had to oversee the project to ensure complete accuracy

Look at all those parts for the bed

Finished crib...looks so good!

Almost complete dresser/changer combo (missing the "feet")

Well, that's all for now.  I'll have another update in a few days.  Enjoy the week!

21 Weeks

This week, Harrison is about 3/4 of a pound and about 10 1/2 inches long, about the length of a carrot (this is according to babycenter.com; although, last week, the ultrasound lady told us that he weighed 3/4 of a pound or 12 oz., so he's likely a little bigger this week).  Baby center also says that I may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts in my belly because the early flutters have turned into full fledged kicks and nudges, and boy have they.  This little kiddo must have been competing for a martial arts award on Saturday during my walk.  It was a beautiful day, and he must have really enjoyed the walk because he was as active as I've ever felt him be...it was wonderful!!  By now, Harrison's eyelids and eyebrows are present!

This is likely what he looks like this week.

In other news, we ordered the furniture for Harrison's nursery yesterday.  We've been mulling over two different options for the past week looking online and at the store and reading reviews and on and on.  We finally made a decision, and the furniture should be here in about two weeks.  Take a look at what we picked out...

the crib:

the dresser/changer combo:

The entire set (with the bedding we picked out):

We elected not to get the big dresser that goes with the set because even though the crib is a convertible crib that can go up to a full size bed, we feel like we'll have Harrison in a different bed in two to three years, and we want to get a matching set at that point that will last him until he goes to college.

In case you're wondering what I'm looking like these days...here's a picture.  I've been taking pictures (or having Jeff take pictures) each Sunday since the 15 week mark.  I typically take the pictures with my belly showing, but I'm not yet ready to show those pictures.  This is from yesterday to document me at 21 weeks:

And one last thing before I go...wish us luck...we're headed to VEGAS this week.  We leave on Wednesday and return on Sunday.  We're excited for our little get away!

Pictures

A couple of pictures from our wonderful day at the ultrasound office

Mama and Daddy with little Harrision

Proud Papa!

Aunt Stephanie and Nana were so excited!!

Half Way There (20 Weeks)

I have so much to share, so let me get started...

From Babycenter.com...we are half way to meeting our little baby. This week, the baby weighs around 10 1/2 oz and is around 6 1/2 in long head to bottom and 10 in from head to toe (about the length of a banana). He's swallowing more these days which is good practice for his digestive system. He is also producing merconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and we'll see it in his first soiled diaper. This is what he looks like this week.

We went for the 20 week ultrasound this past Monday, March 8th, and what a day it was. It was a very memorable one for many reasons...one is that we found out we're having a boy!! We can hardly wait to meet HARRISON GLEN HOLMES! We got to see him moving his little arms and legs, and we got to see his spine and his heart beating (at 146 bpm), and it was so amazing. I started to cry the second I saw his little image pop up on the screen...it's just so amazing that that is my son...other mom's can totally identify with the feeling; I can't even describe it!

After the ultrasound, I'm thinking I might be a week farther along than what we've been thinking. The lady said the measurements put me at 20 weeks, 6 days (basically 21 weeks), and I was thinking I was 20 weeks, 2 days. Also, she said Harrison weighs around 12 oz., and according to several of the books that I have about growth and development, they should weigh about that at 21 weeks. So, Harrison may be here around July 15...he may even make his grand entrance on our anniversary which is July 19th.

Mama and Stephanie came into town for the special occasion. Mama arrived on Saturday afternoon (Steph got here Sunday afternoon), and she, Jeff and I went over to the baby store that night to just start looking at things. We browsed furniture and bedding and strollers and car seats and soooo much more! We spent a good amount of time in furniture and bedding sections. The funny part of the trip is that Jeff found some boy bedding that was on one of the display beds that he really liked. I wasn't 100% sold on it and just kept looking around. We agreed on bedding for a little girl (because remember, at this point we didn't know the gender). So mama and I wandered over to the section where all of the baby bedding is located, and I found this adorable boy bedding immediately...Funny thing...it was the exact same bedding Jeff had just picked out!

Jumping back to Monday after our ultrasound appointment...we were all super excited. Jeff immediately called his mom, who like the rest of us minus Jeff, thought it was going to be a girl. She was so excited. She has two grandsons now and is excited to have another one on the way! We texted and called and chatted and posted to Facebook until our fingers hurt. There were so many people to inform about the news! Mama, Stephanie, and I stopped at the baby store on the way home and bought Harrison his first two outfits...we couldn't resist!

I wish I would have had a camera to take a picture of Jeff's face the instant the sonographer said it's a boy...his face lit up like fireworks. He would not have been disappointed to have a girl, but he really wanted a boy!!! This is going to sound funny, but looking at the ultrasound picture, I think Harrison is going to look like Jeff! It already looks like he has Jeff's nose and lips! I can hardly wait to find out for sure.

Monday night after Jeff got home from work, we did go back to the baby store and get started with our registry. It's not even close to being completed because we have so much research to do on bottles, strollers, car seats, etc. We put a few basic things on there just to say we got started, but we are going to have to go back and be prepared to spend at least another 4 hours in there!!

Well, I know this post really jumps all over the place, but that just shows you how excited I am...I can't even keep my thoughts on track. This has been a tough week to work because of the excitement...I just want to think about and research baby stuff all day!!!

I'll post pictures soon!

Until next week...have a magnificent day!!!

19 Weeks

I'm now into my 19th week of pregnancy and really beginning to show, and I love it!! I'm excited about getting a belly (I may not be so excited about the belly in another 4 months or so when I'm about ready to pop) and getting to wear the cute maternity clothes that I'm starting to acquire.

I had my monthly check-up today and got a good report. The baby's heartbeat was 144 and the doctor says the baby is growing right on schedule. We have our 20 week ultrasound next week and we'll get to (hopefully) find out if we're having a boy or a girl, and the doctor will be able to confirm that everything is as it should be at this point in the pregnancy. I'm looking forward to seeing the baby through the ultrasound...the last time we had an ultrasound, it honestly looked like a peanut.

According to Babycenter.com, the baby's sensory development is in overdrive. The brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, vision, hearing, and touch. Some research suggests that the baby can hear my voice now, so I will start reading to him/her very soon!! The baby probably weighs around 8.5 oz and measures about 6". The arms and legs are now in proportion to each other and to the body. The kidneys continue to produce urine, and the hair on the scalp is sprouting (I wonder if he/she will have hair at birth??). In order to prevent the baby's skin from "pickling" in the womb, a waxy protective coating called vernix caseosa is forming on the skin. This is probably what my baby looks like now.

As for me, I got a good report at the doctor's office today. My weight gain is on target and the doctor was able to find the heartbeat much easier today (the baby wasn't dancing around in my belly). I have an undeniable baby bump that I'm absolutely loving!!! I'm super excited for the ultrasound next week...I'll get to see my baby again!!

Stephanie and Thomas visited yesterday and spent the night, and we had a fun little old school birthday party complete with Catch Phrase, Mad Gab, party hats, decorations, and homemade birthday cake with homemade hot pink icing!! What fun memories...I have pictures that I'll post soon!

~Until next time~