IT'S A BOY!!!!

We had our BIG ultrasound on Tuesday. Everything went very well. We found out that we are having a boy! He was not shy about showing off his "goods," so there is no doubt that he is a boy! But the most exciting news of all is that he looks very healthy and is developing normally! We were able to see all of his major organs and watch him wiggle and kick. He made his cardiologist-to-be daddy very happy with his 4-chambered heart and valves that were flapping away like they should be.

We had quite the crowd with us during the ultrasound. My parents and Dom's parents came with us. It was so awesome to have them there! They were so excited to see their grandson move around and I am so glad we got to hear and see the "It's a boy!" news together. What a wonderful experience to share with them!

And now, it is picture time...

Here is my belly pic from yesterday - "Baby's First Christmas." I was 18 weeks, 6 days:


And pictures from the ultrasound:








And the money shot!!! I'm sure he is very happy that his penis is posted on the internet!

We have had a wonderful Christmas. My parents arrived in Kansas City on the 19th. We left for Wichita the next day and spent the next 2 days with my sister, her boyfriend, and his family. We came back to Kansas City on Monday (Kelly and Stav had to work so we decided to come back to KC for the weekdays). We are leaving this afternoon to go back to Wichita to spend the weekend with them again. My parents are leaving on Monday. We spent Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day afternoon/night at my in-law's house. Dom didn't have to work yesterday so he was able to spend the entire day with us. We've had a lot of quality "family-time" and I am loving every minute of it! This is such an exciting time in our lives, and I am so glad we have an amazing family to share it with!

Update at 16 weeks

It sure has been a long time since I updated! In this case, no news is good news.

I hit 16 weeks on Friday. I have been feeling pretty good lately. The nausea and "afternoon sickness" disappeared at about 14 1/2 weeks. Although getting much better, I still have a love/hate relationship with food. There are times that NOTHING sounds good to eat, but I am starving. The cravings are getting much better too. I don't NEED certain food items (cheese and crackers, apples, tacos, etc.) like I did before. I am still more tired that I was before I was pregnant. I slept for 12 hours on Friday night and last night. I never did that before I was pregnant. I could probably sleep 12 hours every night, if my alarm didn't wake me up for work during the week.

Around Thanksgiving, I started getting a pregnant belly. It seemed like it happened overnight. I went from looking a little pudgy to having a baby bump. Then the next few days, there was a noticeable difference everyday. It's has slowed down a lot over the last week, but I am thinking another growth spurt is coming. I was having a lot of cramping around Thanksgiving, just before my belly arrived. When the cramping lessened, so did my belly growth. But yesterday I was having a lot of cramping again. We'll see what happens over the next few days.

I don't think I have felt the baby move yet. There have been a few times that I have wondered if what I was feeling was the baby, but it was nothing that was obvious enough for me to say, "Yes, that was the baby!" I have a feeling it is getting close. I'm sure I will be feeling the real thing within the next few weeks.

I had my last OB appointment on Thursday. Everything is still looking very good. The heartbeat is nice and strong and 150-155 beats per minute (It was 156 at the appointment, but it usually ranges from 150-155 when we do it at home).

I have my BIG ultrasound scheduled for December 23rd. I will be 18 1/2 weeks. I was so glad my doctor agreed to doing it this week because my parents will be here for Christmas. I am so glad they will be able to join us! We will be finding out the gender (that is, if the baby is cooperative enough to give us a glimpse!). And I can't wait for that! It will make everything seem so real and let us start doing some planning. I have been feeling like it is a girl, but I'm just not that sure about it.

Well, that's it! Everyday, I feel so thankful that we have made it this far! Thank goodness for second chances!