I realized the other day that I don't really have any pictures of me and Sophie. Here's one that Danny took the other morning before going to my doctor's appointment.

Wednesday was a great day this week! I had a doctor's appointment and found out that I currently weigh 12 pounds less than I did at my first prenatal appointment last July. That means that since giving birth to little Sophie 2 weeks ago, I've lost 20+ pounds. Now, I have a long way to go to meet any weight loss goals, but it was exciting to see the scale dip a bit lower than it had in the past! Before having Sophie, I was looking forward to having the spring off - going on walks with Sophie everyday, maybe joining Weight Watchers - definitely trying to lose some weight. After having a c-section, my body aches. It's difficult to walk upstairs more than once or twice a day. I'm tired a lot. I'm not taking the strong pain killers anymore (I really wanted to be able to drive!), but I'm still on a high dose of ibuprofen just to feel well enough to walk around the house. I was encouraged that the breastfeeding is helping and the small amount of activity I can do is also contributing. We'll see how long this all lasts, but for now, I'm encouraged!

After returning from my doctor's appointment, Sophie's Grandma (Danny's mom) came by for a visit. That evening, several of our friends came over and we decided to cook out. We had a great time! It had been a long time since we'd had a group of people over, so it was really nice to not only see everyone, but to be able to look forward to this summer - nicer weather, cook outs, and great friends! I'm so excited for it! Sophie was a party animal! She was well behaved - when she was with me! She's become quite a mama's girl (which doesn't bother me one bit!) and loves to sleep on my chest. This morning has been difficult - my to-do list is growing so I decided to put her in her swing for her morning nap. She's done great! She's slept for about an hour and half, if not longer! Looks like we need to purchase some more batteries!

Today is pay day! Yay! Hopefully that means that we'll get out of the house for a bit - maybe a run to the grocery store, probably a run to Babies R Us. It doesn't matter to me where we go - I'm just excited to get out for a bit!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Here is Sophie on her first St. Patrick's Day! She's getting so big already!

Sophie Grace

It's hard to believe that Ms. Sophie is a week old today! What a week it has been! Last week, I blogged about getting ready for the baby to arrive and here we are a week later...in our home, with our baby, trying to figure all this out. Things did not go as I had anticipated last Wednesday. We checked in to the hospital around 6:30 a.m. We were taken to our room where the whole induction process was started. Silly me, I really thought that things would move pretty quickly. I was already 4 cm dilated. Everything was "favorable." We were ready. So, we waited. And we waited. And we waited.  I had my water broken a little before noon - that was not a fun experience. Shortly after that, I asked for the epidural. The contractions were painful, but just not strong enough. I was so scared about getting an epidural - you know, having a needle stuck in your back is a little scary. It wasn't as awful as I thought it would be, and after the medicine kicked in, I was able to rest. I didn't feel the contractions anymore. I said several times that it's no wonder people get addicted to pain medicine - if that's what it feels like!

The nurse continued to check my progress every 2 hours. I was not progressing the way we had all hoped. At one point, probably around 6:30 or 7, I was dilated to about 7 cm and my nurse made a comment like, "It's not looking very good for a vaginal delivery." I was devastated. And scared. And worried. The last thing I wanted was to have a c-section. Then, the contractions became more painful and were spreading to my back. I was in tears with every contraction and there was nothing they could do for me. Around 8 p.m., my doctor came in and the decision was made to go ahead with a c-section. The baby hadn't "dropped" at all. I wasn't progressing and I was in pain. Everything happened so quickly after the decision was made. I received some more anesthesia, Danny dressed in his scrubs, and before I knew it, we were being rolled to the operating room. There was a moment when Vannah came in to my room and I could tell she had been crying. I know that everyone was trying to be strong for me, but I was scared. Seeing her sweet little face, reddened from crying was so touching and heartbreaking at the same time. She was so worried about me being taken in to surgery. We hugged and I tried to reassure her that everything would be fine, but at the same time, I was scared to death.

Once in the operating room, things moved right along. It was quite an experience - so strange and uncomfortable. I laid there for some time as they "prepared" me for the operation. Once Danny came into the room, I was so excited to see him, but also quite loopy and out of it from the pain medications. The procedure itself was uncomfortable, but thankfully I didn't experience a great deal of pain. As they pulled the baby out, I remember hearing my doctor say "This baby has A LOT of hair!" Then, the moment we had waited all that time for - they told us that we had a baby girl! It was a very sweet, tender moment between Danny and me as we relished in the moment. His excitement was evident from the very second we heard that it was a girl. As they started to clean her off, they called him over and he was able to hold her and be with her - as I laid on the table and was put back together. I remember that he came and showed her to me and I immediately fell in love. This sweet little bundle is all ours - forever.

After the c-section, I was taken to the recovery area and had a few minutes by myself with Sophie. Danny had left to tell our families about our baby girl and I just sat in the recovery area, holding her and loving on her. I was completely overcome with emotions in the moment and just sat there and cried. It was just unreal to me that this little girl belonged to me. That Danny and I created her. What an amazing gift! Several times over the past week, we've looked at each other and said "We must've done something right." She's such a sweet blessing and is just perfect. It was so fun to see our families come into the recovery area and meet Sophie for the first time. As our parents and siblings all came back to meet Sophie, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness, knowing how very excited my dad would have been to meet her. I am sad that she will not ever be able to meet her Gramps, but know that she has a guardian angel watching over her. He would have loved her so very much.

Once we were taken to our room, Sophie was given her first bath and her footprints were taken for the hospital birth certificate. We were all exhausted. In the midst of everything, I started trying to nurse Sophie. We've had some bumps along the way with the nursing, but are now doing pretty well. We stayed in the hospital until Saturday afternoon. We had lots of visitors while we were there. Things went so much more smoothly than I had anticipated in the hospital. For that, I really am grateful!

Now that we are home, we are just trying to figure it all out. We've had lots of visitors since coming home. Friends and family have brought us meals (which has truly been a lifesaver - it's been hard enough to find time to shower, let alone cook a meal!). Sophie is a good eater and a good sleeper! We are really lucky. She slept last night for 5 hours straight! I could hardly believe it! We went to the pediatrician yesterday for her check up. When she was born, she weighed 7 lbs 7 oz. When we left the hospital, she was down to 6 lbs 11.5 oz. Yesterday, at the doctor's office, she was back up to 7 lbs! He was very impressed with her weight! He said that she is just doing great! We couldn't be happier!

I'm healing well from the c-section. I still wish that I didn't have to go through it, but here we are. We have Sophie at home with us and we are both healthy. We couldn't ask for much more! I know the recovery will be difficult. I'm trying to take it easy, but at the same time, I want to be active so that I can heal. Life is all about finding balance, so I'm trying to piece it together - doing just enough, but not too much.

The time has come...

I took the day off work today to prepare for tomorrow. At our doctor's appointment yesterday, we decided to go ahead and be induced tommorrow (March 2). Throughout my pregnancy, my blood pressure has been on the higher end. It hasn't been so high that I've been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, but high enough that my doctor does watch it pretty closely. I've been thankful that it hasn't turned into pre-eclampsia and basically, my doctor feels like it's best to induce now while all conditions are "favorable" instead of waiting too long and taking the chance that I could develop pre-eclampsia. I was 4 cm dilated yesterday (I was checked twice - once by my doctor and once by a student, who once she was "settled," said "what am I feeling for?" Um....don't you think you should have asked that about 30 seconds ago!?!?). I've progressed some each week, so my doctor is going to take advantage of the progress we've made and we are set to induce tomorrow.

We are both so excited! It was awfully difficult for me to focus at work yesterday. I struggled to get much accomplished, but was able to contact the families of the kids I work with and say farewell to my girls. I've tried really hard to prepare them that this would be my last week, so it wasn't very dramatic. Last night, Danny and I just spent a quiet night at home. We ordered a pizza and quite frankly, we didn't even talk much with each other. I think we both just needed to sit and let things really sink in. Today, there are a few things on my to-do list, but mostly, I want to savor the quiet time in our pre-baby home. I need to finish packing my hospital bag, put some laundry away, do the dishes, and finish writing thank you notes. Danny is going to install the car seat. We may have dinner with my mom and sisters. Then, we'll try to head to bed early tonight. We'll call the hospital a little before 5 a.m. to see when they want us to come in. I'm trying to prepare myself that tomorrow will be a long day, but all I can think about is kissing the sweet little face of our baby. It will be weird not to have people asking me every day if it's a boy or a girl. Our little "Baby Minton" will finally have a name!

Almost there!

It's been a bit of an eventful week! Last weekend, I had two showers! They were both so nice! The first, on Saturday, was at the Louisville Boat Club with my father's side of the family. It was a pretty intimate gathering, but nice to see some aunts and cousins that I haven't seen in a while. I'm also thankful that my grandmother was able to be there as she's had multiple health issues over the past year. On Sunday, my sister-in-law and mother-in-law hosted a shower. Everything was so perfect! It was nice to see family from out of town, and family from in town that we don't see very often! It was a really great celebration! After the shower, we joined my dad's side of the family again for a birthday dinner to celebrate my grandmother's birthday. By 8 o'clock, I was completely exhausted!

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday morning. Danny wasn't able to come with me because he had his own doctor's appointment that morning. I wasn't overly concerned as the appointments have become pretty mundane at this point. Well - needless to say, lesson learned. I will not be going to the rest of my appointments (maybe just 1 more!) alone. I learned that I was between 3.5 and 4 cm dilated, so my body is continuing to prepare for the baby to make its entrance. When listening to the baby's heartbeat, the doctor became concerned because the heart beat would accelerate and then slow back down. My doctor told me that she would hook me up to a monitor and check on things, but if the heart rate didn't slow down, we'd be heading to the hospital to deliver the baby. WHAT!?!?! I was completely unprepared for that! Of course, she says "Don't worry, it will be fine," which only made me worry more. After a frustrating hour or so of trying to get a good reading on the fetal monitor, I was told that everything was fine and just to come back next week. I go back Monday morning, and this time, I'm planning on being more prepared in case my doctor wants to deliver the baby!

Danny and I went to pick up a few more "necessities" on Monday evening. Thankfully, I'd made a list and we were in and out of Babies R Us in no time. I was exhausted after the emotional doctor's appointment. Tuesday morning, I decided to send a very last minute plea to a few of my friends and sister, begging for some help with getting things ready around the house. Macy, Rebecca and my sister Ashley came and were absolutely amazing! They cleaned, organized, unpacked, washed, folded, put away, swept, mopped - they did it all! It was more than I had expected and I am so thankful for their help. I went to bed Tuesday night, finally feeling at ease and ready for baby to come.

So, now we wait. Things are ready. I am ready. I have been so blessed this entire pregnancy - no health problems, few complaints, etc. Now, I'm kind of done. I don't know what has changed over the past week, but I'm just ready for the baby to be here. I'm feeling bigger and bigger by the day. I'm struggling to find comfortable ways to sleep. Heartburn is keeping me up. I'm worn out by noon. I'm just ready! Tonight, I started to get my hospital bag together. This weekend, we'll install the car seat and put the bag next to the door. My co-workers don't think I'll make it through the week next week. I guess we'll see. I'm definitely ready to wrap things up there. There's going to be a baby here before we know it!

Hoping for a better day...

Yesterday was a rough day. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep from the night before, the hormones from the pregnancy, or just the general state of "uncomfortable-ness" that I've come to live in, but it was just a rotten day. I was all over the board emotionally - from happy to sad, angry to elated, but mostly focused on the more negative emotions. I know that the biggest factor in all of this has been the stress of knowing that this baby can come any day now...seriously, any day! I feel so unprepared. My house is such a mess. All of the baby's clothes, sheets, towels, etc are still unwashed. My hospital bag isn't packed. I still have thank you notes to write and deliver from my work shower. And the list could go on and on. This morning, I thought that we should most definitely check the batteries in the fire detectors (after pointing out to Danny a couple of nights ago that the chandelier in the kitchen needs dusting). I'm so not used to asking for help from others, but there's so much that I just can't do anymore. Bending over has become increasingly difficult (putting on my shoes has become quite the feat each morning). I really wish that I had more paid time off so I could take the week off before the baby comes to prepare, but we just can't afford that right now if I want to be home with the baby for 10-12 weeks.

I need to not start today off complaining....I probably did enough of that yesterday. This weekend will be great, I'm sure of it. I have a slower day at work today, and got in extra early this morning (up before my alarm at 5:45 a.m.), so I'm hoping to sneak out a few minutes early this afternoon. I only have three therapy sessions, a little bit of paperwork, and a few phone calls standing between me and home this afternoon. Guess I'd better hop to it!

37 weeks and counting!

We had another great doctor's appointment yesterday! Our little one is growing and active and we really feel blessed beyond measure. I had another ultrasound, as my doctor has wanted to check on the baby's growth. I love being able to see our little one. The ultrasound tech was wonderful again and switched the machine over to the 3D/4D setting! I love when she does that! She printed a few pics for us! Here's a sweet shot of baby's face:

As far as stats go, they think baby is weighing in at 6 lbs 7 oz....a little on the petite side, but my doctor was not concerned about that. She said the baby is in the 37th percentile - which is good because he/she is big enough to be healthy if born now but small enough for an "easier" delivery! Sounds great to me! Of course, ultrasounds are not perfect and the weight could be way off, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much. I'm dilated about 2.5 cm at this point, so not too much of a change from last week. The doctor talked to us about not wanting to go too far past my due date to wait for baby to come, and at this point Danny and I are fine with that. I've said that I would like the baby to come anytime after March 1. That's what I've had in my head for so long. I know it's not really up to me, and baby will come when baby is ready to come!

I am getting so excited, but more nervous and anxious as well. Life just hasn't slowed down at all and we've had some curveballs thrown our way over the past week or so. I'm so tired by the time I get home from work that I haven't done anything more to the baby's room. In fact, all of the gifts from my showers are still just kind of sitting around. I've got to get busy on unpacking, washing and organizing this weekend, but the schedule is jam packed. All I want is a nap! I am definitely looking forward to this weekend. Danny and I are both blessed with large families and we have two more baby showers this weekend! On Saturday, I'll be celebrating with dad's side of the family and on Sunday, Danny's sister and mom are hosting a shower for us. Sunday evening, we'll join my dad's side of the family again for dinner to celebrate my grandmother's birthday. I don't know how I'll ever make it to work on Monday!

Getting closer!

I've now started weekly appointments with the doctor. We are at 36 weeks today, and my doctor performed my first cervical check today (or whatever they call it....I'd call it torture). Apparently, I'm already 2 cm dilated and about 60% effaced. The doctor kept telling me that it doesn't really mean anything, just that my body is getting ready for the inevitable. It doesn't predict how quickly or when baby will come, but still. I freaked out a little! Words like dilated and effaced are meant to be used at the hospital when you're getting ready to have the baby, not 4 weeks before your due date! I know plenty of stories about people who go for weeks and aren't more dilated than they were before, but I think it was just another reality check for me. This baby is coming - and it will come when it's good and ready...be it 4 more weeks or 4 more days. My doctor reassured me that if I go into labor now, she wouldn't try to stop me (which I knew, but only reminds me of how much I should get done). I know that all will be fine. We have the necessities - a place for the baby to sleep, clothes for him or her to wear, diapers for his/her bottom.....we will be fine. Mentally, I don't know that it's fully hit me yet. I feel prepared to be a parent. I am pretty sure I know how to take care of a baby. I know that we will learn a lot of things by trial and error. And I also know that as soon as we have that sweet baby in our arms, we will know what to do.

We had a wonderful baby shower on January 29, hosted by my mom and sisters. It was so fun. All of our closest friends came, and it was great that Danny was there as well. We are blessed to have such amazing friends and to know that this baby is already so loved by so many. Today, the girls I work with threw a shower for me. It was really nice - we had a lunch time shower with yummy food and a delicious cake (most of which is sitting in the kitchen, tempting Danny). Again, I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people who gave generously and helped to celebrate the baby!

As I'm nearing closer to my due date, I've been working on trying to make sure things are caught up at work (which is easier said than done). It's funny that my schedule seems to have been pretty open for so long and now it's jam packed with meetings, trainings and more until my due date. I'm working on ways to wrap up some things with the girls I work with and try to assure them that after my leave, I will be back (some will be happy to hear this, others may be disappointed).

All of this to say - it's getting closer! Let the countdown begin!!

Happy Birthday!

As hard as it is to believe, my baby girl is turning 15 years old today!

Vannah Grace - I love you more than you'll ever know! I feel more prepared than I ever would have imagined to become a mother because you have allowed me to be a mother to you. You have taught me so much about unconditional love and what it means to be a family. You are wise beyond your years. As much as you yearn for adulthood, I pray that you will take the time to slow things down and savor these last few years of being a teenager. Life has so much to offer you. Danny and I are both so incredibly blessed to have you in our lives. You bring so much joy and laughter to our home and for that, I am grateful. I hope you have a wonderful birthday and know how very much you are loved!

The Nursery

Thanks to some loving people in our lives, the nursery is really starting to come together! My in-laws bought us the crib, which Danny put together over the weekend. A close family friend came over last night and brought with her the crib bedding set AND the lamp and mobile that matches. (She also cut my hair - for which I am extremely grateful! I kept thinking - I'll want to be able to put it in a ponytail when baby comes, which really meant that I've been putting it in a ponytail constantly. I'm glad to have some of the dead weight gone and am loving my new hair cut!)

Here are two pictures of the nursery (so far):

This is the changing table, glider (which I'd love to reupholster but don't think I know how), and the bookshelves...we'll remove the cans of paint on the bottom shelf before Baby makes its debut.

Here's the crib with the bedding! It's hard to see in this picture, but the theme is called "Bunny Meadows." It's a sage green and brown combo and I love it! I snapped these pictures with my cell phone this morning, but will try to take some better pictures ASAP. Above the crib, I plan to spell out the baby's name in letters that I've decorated myself (I've bought the letters...now to decorate them...). Interestingly, the two names that we've chosen only differ by one letter, so we'll be prepared either way!

The countdown is officially on! I am due 6 weeks from yesterday. I'm not feeling like I'll go early by any means. I am praying that Baby stays tight until March 1, due to some benefits stuff at work (and of course because the baby will be healthier the long he/she stays baking!).

Our first shower is this weekend and I am so excited to catch up with some old friends! I've become even more of a homebody since I found out I was pregnant, so it will be nice to just be able to spend time with some great people we haven't seen in a while. My mom and sisters are hosting this monkey themed shower...and whenever my family is involved, you can just about guarantee it will be wild! Can't wait for the fun of it all!

Moving right along...

Today, I am 33 full weeks pregnant! It's so hard to believe that we have just 7 short weeks before the baby comes! We have so much to look forward to in the next few weeks (including four, yes FOUR, baby showers!!). I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. I know that this baby will never be short on loving adults in its life. I've been working on some homemade thank you notes for the showers, but am already thinking I just don't have enough. Some people might get some store bought notes, and that will be just fine! :) I think it's a good problem to have!

As far as my pregnancy goes, things seem to be progressing quite well. We had an ultrasound at my appointment this week to check the baby's growth. The ultrasound tech was so wonderful. My mom and two of my sisters were with me and she was very patient and gracious with us! She even switched over to 3D mode and tried several times to get a good picture of the baby's face! The baby apparently loves to suck its thumb, so we couldn't get a clear shot. But, those chubby cheeks were unmistakable! I sent Danny a picture of the ultrasound and he said "It's kind of blurry but those are definately your cheeks." I think he's right! Here's a picture - it's not the best quality, but you can see it's little face!

The baby apparently weighs around 4 lbs 9 oz. When the ultrasound tech told me that, I freaked out a bit! I don't know why, but it just hit me that this baby is really coming soon. I mean, I know it's coming. I feel it moving inside of me. I wake up five hundred times a night to go to the bathroom, try to get comfortable, pop a few Tums...preparing for the sleepless, blessed nights that are to come.

I am so excited to be a mommy. I feel like this is the role that I've been preparing for my entire life. I've always taken care of my younger siblings and helped a lot with my cousins when they were small (at times, I think I knew more what I was doing than my aunts did!). I know that so many things are going to change, and I am anxious for all of that. But, in the deepest part of me, I also feel like this is my ultimate role. I just can't wait to hold our little one and cover it in love. I'm trying to be patient - knowing that after the baby is here, everything will change. Danny and I have been together for a long time. It's always been just the two of us (and our little Vannah). I'm so excited to see him as a father and how the little one will strengthen our relationship even more and bring us even closer together.

We know that this is going to be a challenging phase in our lives. This morning, I reminded him again that babies eat 10-12 times a day! That's every 2 hours!! That scares me...we both like our sleep. I don't want to wish away these last few weeks of pregnancy. I hope to enjoy the little moments when I can feel the baby moving inside of me and no one else will ever know what that was like for the two of us. And, hopefully, spend a little bit of quality time, just me and Danny, before we have our little one home with us. I hope to not stress about all that HAS to be done, and focus on enjoying the process.

Baby Update...12.29.10

We had another doctor's appointment today. Vannah came with me and was so excited to hear the baby's heartbeat and see how thrilling my appointments are. The baby is now as big as a head of lettuce - an 18 inch, 3 pound head of lettuce! As of today, I am 30 weeks, 2 days pregnant, which means that we have about 9 weeks and 5 days left until our due date! It's so hard to believe how soon the baby will be here! My doctor's appointments are now every two weeks. At my next appointment, we'll have another ultrasound! While the doctor thinks everything is progressing very well, she wants to do a "growth" and "fluid" check next time as my blood pressure was a little higher today. She said that it really wasn't anything to be concerned about, but just would rather be on the safe side. I'm excited for another chance to "see" our baby! I'm hopeful that he/she will be more cooperative and we'll get a good look at him/her!

I am starting to stress more about everything that needs to be done before the baby gets here. Danny has painted the nursery, but it's still a mess. My family is planning a baby shower for me at the end of January, but that feels FOREVER away! It is definitely nice to have something to look forward to as things have just been stressful lately. The pregnancy hormones have come on in full swing, work is tough as usual, and I'm just ready for a break. Just a few more weeks and our lives will be changed forever!

My best friend's wedding!

This weekend, we celebrated the marriage of Nick and Rebecca! Rebecca and I have been friends since high school and have remained close friends since. She visited me a few times when I was in school in Nashville and I was able to visit with her when she was at UNCW. I'm so happy for her and Nick. She deserves every happiness in the world and she was truly glowing yesterday! I'm so glad that she has found a partner in Nick! Here are some photos from the day...

Nick and Rebecca's first dance

The best man's toast/cake cutting

Vannah and Danny dancing

Rebecca and the Radmacher sisters :)

What a special day! We are so glad that we were able to be a part of it!

Baby Update!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of my 29th week of pregnancy. That means that we have roughly 11 weeks to go until we meet our little one! The baby is now the size of a butternut squash (about 17 inches long and a little more than 3 pounds!!). We had a doctor's appointment this week where I had my glucose test. I had to drink a super sweet beverage and wait an hour to have my blood drawn. I got the test results on Friday and passed the glucose test, but my iron was a little low. The doctor called in some iron supplements for me to help with that. My sister, Ashley, kept me company at the appointment this week. I was so excited for her to be able to hear the baby's heartbeat (which is going strong in the 130's). I'm still feeling pretty good. I've had some lower back pain and a few other symptoms that cause some slight discomfort. Overall, I could not be more thankful for how smooth this pregnancy has gone. My weight is staying consistent and my doctor seems pleased with how things are progressing.

I am starting to feel the baby moving on a more regular basis. This morning, Danny and Vannah were able to feel him/her kicking as well. It was a very special moment! Vannah spends most weekends with us and it seems as if every Sunday morning, we all end up snuggling in our bed. As we were snuggling together this morning, the baby started to move some. I put Vannah's hand on my belly and the baby kicked really hard! Vannah's face was priceless!! Danny then put his hand on my belly and the baby went still. We talked and poked for a minute or two and the baby started kicking its Daddy. It seemed like when we would all be quiet, the baby would be still, but when we were talking or laughing, the baby would respond to that. It's been so nice to have those special moments where I have been the only one to feel the baby moving or kicking, but I'm so glad that Danny and Vannah were both able to share it this morning.

Things are progressing so quickly! Christmas is almost here, New Year's will follow. The fun will then really start with baby showers and finishing up the baby's room. Before we know it, we will have our sweet little one at home with us!

Another doctor's appointment...

We went to the doctor for our 20 week check-up and ultrasound today. We were both so excited to see our little one. Before we went to the doctor's office, Danny and I had lunch together. My plan/hope was that if I had a Coke, the baby would be a bit more active during the ultrasound. Well, that didn't work so well! The baby was very stubborn!

The ultrasound tech kept trying to get a good picture of the baby's face, but the one we got isn't so great. The doctor did tell us that everything that she could see looked great....the head measured correctly, the legs were there, the arms are there, the stomach and bladder are in the appropriate places, the umbilical cord looks how it's supposed to look. About halfway through the ultrasound, the tech said to us, "You want me to tell you the baby's gender, right?" And pretty quickly, I told her that we wanted to keep it a surprised. She breathed a sigh of relief and said that she was having a hard time telling what it was since that baby was trying to hide itself from us.

Funny enough though, when we went back to meet with the doctor, she was explaining each of the pictures to us and stopped at one and said "I'm not sure what she's trying to show me here...oh, wait! Let's not look at that one!" It must have been a between the legs shot, but our doctor reassured us that she wasn't sure what the baby is, so not to jump to any conclusions. She told us that she didn't find out the baby's gender with either of her pregnancies, but during her second, she was convinced she was having a boy due to a blurry ultrasound. However, the boy turned out to be a baby girl. I couldn't really read her either way, as far as what she "thinks" the baby might be, but she just reassured us that she doesn't know for sure.

Here are a few pictures of the baby from this morning...

The baby's face (the eyes are where the little dots are)

The baby's arm and fist (love this picture!)

The baby's foot...

Since the baby was being so stubborn today, we are going to have another ultrasound at our next appointment! We are definitely looking forward to that!