19 Weeks

Everything is going great with the baby! I felt him move a lot last night after I ate a bowl of frozen yogurt. I guess he liked it! We are working on the nursery slowly, but surely. When we get the floors in we'll post some pictures. For now, here is a 19 week picture of my growing belly. It's crazy to think I'm almost half way and I'm going to get MUCH bigger.

IT"S A BOY

I know it's been a while since I posted, but there wasn't much going on until now. A couple weeks ago I decided to get bloodwork done that screened for Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18, and neural tube defects. The screen came back with a positive possibility for Down Syndrome. We had an appointment with a specialist yesterday to get a level 2 ultrasound done. This ultrasound is done by a fetal medicine doctor who goes over ever inch of the baby including the brain and organs. Everything looked perfect and all the measurements were normal. The doctor said he saw no markers for Downs and the baby should be healthy. The ultrasound is not a 100% conclusive, but the doctor seemed pretty confident everything was normal. On top of finding out we have a healthy baby we also found out it's a boy! I was hoping for a girl, but now that I know it's a boy I'm so excited and in love. Since I found out I was pregnant I was so excited that we're having a baby, but now it's so real since we were able to see him and I have started feeling him move a little. I just love him so much already that I can't imagine what it will be like when he's actually here. We like the name Nolan Steven, but who knows if I will change my mind within the next few months. Here are the ultrasound pics.

Doc Appointment

I had another doctor's appointment today. We just listened to the baby's heart beat which was strong and in the 160 BPM range. Everything sounded great. She assured me I'm not too fat at this point which is good. Everything seems to be going as planned with no complications. I'm really hoping it stays that way until the end. We have our next appointment on July 29th and it's the big one where we get to find out what we're having. I still say it's a girl, but we shall soon find out. I also took my preregistration form to the hospital. It somehow made it seem all official. I'm really excited to be able to deliver at a brand new hospital (well as long as everything goes well). A new hospital opened about a half a mile down the road from our house this past April. Frank actually works there part-time so he'll get to know how everything works long before December. The only downfall is that it doesn't have a NICU so if there are any issues, the baby will need to be transported to the hospital down the road. It's not too far away, but it would be nice to not have to go to 2 hospitals. Fingers crossed all goes as planned!!! I also think I felt the baby move this past weekend. Everyone keeps telling me it will feel like a flutter and it's hard to tell if it's gas or the baby. Pretty sure it was the baby because I don't think I've felt gas like that before. I can't wait till she starts kicking!

Dancing for Birth

I just got home from my first Dancing for Birth class. I'm sure most of you haven't heard about this because I know I hadn't before I stumbled upon it while trying to find a prenatal exercise class that wasn't just yoga. It combines African, Latin, Caribbean, and Belly dance to help you have an easier and less painful labor and stay in shape during pregnancy. I had the best time and would highly recommend it for all pregnant women. It was so much fun and it's such a neat way to celebrate being pregnant while exercising. Because I felt like nauseous or tired most of the 1st trimester the only exercise I did was walking. I'm so glad I found something that is fun, keeps me in shape, and will hopefully help me through labor. We even did some Cumbia tonight which is a Latin dance that I used to incorporate when I taught Zumba so it was right up my alley. For more information you can visit www.dancingforbirth.com and you should be able to find a class hopefully near you. You can also visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx0-jZx29kY and check out a video that shows a little more about it. This class is 23 miles from my house but it is so worth the drive. I can't wait for the next class!

Baby Bump

We've started a new chapter in our lives. We found out the first week of April that we're expecting, due December 12th! The first trimester wasn't too awful but I'm glad that part is over. I'm starting to feel a lot better and I'm having a lot less food aversions. Here are a couple belly photos, one at 13 weeks and the next was taken today at 15 weeks.