Half Way There ... some memories

The time has finally come for A&T to share the news that they are expecting with friends and family. It's been a long journey which they decided to keep private until we were successful. Then our success was followed with more ups and downs throughout the first trimester bringing more reservations. Thankfully the pregnancy is thriving and their lil boy is developing normally and perfect as can be and it is time to introduce him to the world.

As some of you know, I created a DVD for them when we first became pregnant to share the wonderful news that they were expecting. The package showed up on their doorstep while they were out of town and the wait for them to get back home and receive their surprise was killing me!! It was the greatest joy to hear IM over the phone, sobbing and so excited when they finally got the good news.

Congrats again A&T, I feel so privileged to be sharing in this miracle with you. You are wonderful, caring and special people and will be amazing parents too.

BABY STEPS VIDEO

20 weeks

Merry Christmas and wishing everyone a very very Happy New Year!!!

20 weeks

Today was our 20 week appointment/ultrasound and all is looking great.

I didn't gain any weight these last two weeks which was just what I had hoped for. I've been trying to be more conscious about my food choices and not over indulging and it seemed to work. I also have been exercising again since getting the all clear two weeks ago, hopefully my efforts will prove helpful throughout the holiday.

The u/s went great, heart rate was 138 bpm and he is measuring 14oz right now ... still so tiny. It was awesome to not only feel him moving during the scan but see the movements that were causing the sensations too ... ultrasounds never get old. A&T are just enamored by their lil man (yes he is still a boy) and I can't wait for them to share their excitement with friends and family over the next week.

Jason came along for this visit and we went out to dinner following the appointment and had a wonderful visit. After wards we headed back to the house for some dessert and coffee with our girls and exchanged gifts. IM picked out a really nice Pea in the Pod top for me and they also gifted the family Wii Resort and some accessories for the Wii too. The girls were very excited and can't wait to try out the new game!

I always hate to see our visits end but they'll be back in 4 weeks. Next time (24wks) it will just be a routine visit, haven't had one of those yet. It will be weird not to get to do an u/s since we've been getting a peek every week to two weeks for the last couple months. Can't believe we are half way there !!

Working on a Dream

IM gave to me a CD with several songs to represent the journey. I can't listen to it without smiling ear to ear and at the same time getting misty eyed. What an amazing miracle we are witnessing. I've made a playlist which includes a few of the songs. Enjoy.

(You may need to first pause background instrumental by turning off player located at bottom of blog. To scroll and view all songs below use "Pop Out Player" tab. )

19 weeks

I'm hiccuping and covered in vernix. My hair is starting to grow too!

Everything is pretty much going as expected.

Next week is the anatomy scan where we'll get a nice long look at this lil guy and get to count fingers and toes once again. We've been pretty lucky to have an u/s each and every visit so far and I'm always excited to see him again.

18 weeks

So not to much to report, things have been quiet which is great. We had yet another follow up visit today, Baby Boy looked great. His heartrate was 141 and he was moving about and appeared comfy and cozy all snuggled in. The other news is that the bleed has reabsorbed but the undeveloped embryo still lingers. The doctor told me since everything looked good I could get back to normal life; time for my hubby, exercise (with in limits of course) and just enjoy the rest of the second trimester.

My weight gain came up, ugh ... I've put on something like 12lbs in just the last 8 weeks. So glad that she ok'd some more activity, hopefully getting back to the gym will keep me from gaining much more to quickly.

IM and I got to chit chat for a bit at a coffee shop after the appointment. I always love spending time with her, our relationship has really blossomed over the past several months and I feel like I can really be myself and enjoy what has become an very special friendship.

17 weeks

I can swallow and blink! I'm a 1/2 pound and my heart pumps 25 quarts a day.

Another week has gone by. Everything is going great. We did get another peek at the lil guy today and once again he was not shy to show off his stuff. Heartbeat was a strong and steady 146 bpm and he was busy and active once again. I'm feeling lots of movement now, still not strong enough to feel from the outside but noticeably there from the inside throughout the day. It appears that Twin A remains the same but the bleed wasn't even detected by the tech so maybe this means not more spotting from here on out. I still have instructions to take an easy and remain on pelvic rest. We are going back in another week just for another peek and then after that the next appt will be mid December for the 20wk "anatomy scan".

IM joined me again today, always so nice to see her. She got to meet my daycare crew and hang out a bit and stuck around through nap time so we could chow down on some Chinese together.

Here's another look at lil "Baby G". Doesn't he look cozy?