21 Weeks, 2 Days - Hunter likes cookies & cream ice cream!

It was such an unexpected and awesome feeling! I had some yummy cookies & cream ice cream with J while watching TV after supper, and about half an hour later, I felt something moving around in my tummy! I know it was Hunter, after ruling out anything else. He must have been giving some pretty strong kicks. I could feel it and got J to put his hand on my tummy but I'm not sure if he felt it or not. Tonight was the first time I've felt anything like that, and I am super excited! I am pretty sure Hunter tired himself out and fell asleep because I don't feel it anymore, but will be hoping to sometime tomorrow! Goodnight, my little man!

21 Weeks - More than Halfway There!

Yay! We've got 19 weeks (or less!) until we meet Hunter, and can't wait!

We went to another appt. yesterday morning, just a checkup to see how things are going, we actually didn't even see the Dr but just the nurse, and got to hear the little man's heartbeat again. He must have been moving and shaking in there because we heard quite a few thumps and bumps, and his heartrate was 150, up from last time (140). I still can't feel a thing and that kind of disappoints me, I'm just hoping to be able to feel him by my next appt in 2 1/2 weeks. I will be a little over 23 weeks then and really can't wait to feel him kicking. Most people would have been feeling him already for nearly a month, but I suppose like his daddy he's stubborn and wants to make me wait as long as possible. He was really trying to get away from the doppler yesterday, I think he knows when people are looking for him in there!

Anyways altogether everything went great, and I found out I've only gained 4lbs so far (!). I had guessed it would be between 5-10lbs, not only 4! But I suppose I've been riding my bike pretty consistantly and that keeps it down too. I've lost a little weight in my face and legs, and really you can see the only place I've gained it is the little bump on my tummy! It's a cute little bump too! So hopefully things stay this way and I don't gain too much before October and don't get too many stretch marks. Right now I do have 2 little marks, one on either side of my belly button, that start quite high up. I really hope it doesn't get too much worse than that! Who knows, I guess we'll see what happens. I know it might happen but I don't have to like that part of it. But I'm doing my best to stay healthy and in shape so at least I'm doing all I can to give the best to my little boy!

Anyways I'm also thinking about the coming summer months and the fact that I need 300 more hours to qualify for maternity leave. 300 hours in the next 4 months is doable, but I don't think I will get it all from the daycare. If my shifts don't pick up I plan to get a part time job at either Bargain Shop, Fields, or even Co-Op to make up the hours I need. One way or another I will make it work out. It would be great to have that year's worth of paychecks (even if they're small), to help out.

Well blah. Not much else new besides that. Looking forward to my next ultrasound appt. on June 14 to see Hunter, and hopefully reconfirm that he's a he, and when I talk to my Dr. afterwards I hope to schedule my diabetes test for 2 weeks later on the 28th. I will be in again that day anyways to see my hematologist so I hope to get it all done in one trip. I've been going to the city so much lately, every 2-3 weeks, and it's such a long drive that I hope they will work with me to do things on the same day when possible. Here's to hoping!

18 Weeks, 4 Days - We're Having a Boy!

That's right, we've got a little man on the way! Our ultrasound yesterday morning went great, the tech doing it was wonderful, and we found out we've got a little boy coming in October. I was really shocked because all along I was sure it was a girl! So many reasons why! At first the baby kept its legs pressed together so we couldn't see the goods. The tech took measurements and printed off some pictures for us which was awesome! We saw baby itching its chin, and move around kind of in a jerking motion which made me think it had hiccups. Then near the end of the assessment we took another peek and baby had spread its legs and we could see EVERYTHING! Most definitely a little boy! No doubt about it, the little legs make a V and that little dohickey in the center means we've got a boy!

We went out after the ultrasound and picked out our first little boy outfit.

I was really surprised to find out I've got a little boy in my belly, but I was truly thrilled. So happy I cried a little. I can't wait to meet my little man this fall! Actually we talked to my pregnancy Dr. before leaving the clinic, and she said everything looks perfect and right on track with where it should be, I'm seeing her on the 27th so just 2 weeks 2 days from now, and then getting another ultrasound June 14 to make sure things are still on track. Shortly after that I will have to do my glucose test to check for diabetes. Everything is going so fast and I am so thankful that I'm able to enjoy all of it!

My 18 week, 3 day baby belly with the tiny little newborn onesie held up to it! This little boy will have all the love in the world... :)

18 Weeks, 1 Day - Do Good Things Come In 3's?

No, I don't mean triplets... haha I know I'm lame. It has been a crazy week and next week only gets crazier!

First off yesterday I got a phonecall from my Hematologist with some very interesting news. He called to check in and see how I'm doing, how the shots are going, how baby is doing, etc. Then he gave me some awesome news! After baby is born in October, and my body has a chance to get back to normal 6-8 weeks later, he wants to take me completely off blood thinners! He thinks that my body (with the occasional phlebotomy) should be able to handle everything on its own. I was really not prepared to hear that because I am totally used to the idea that I would be on thinners for life. But this, I'm speechless. I really hope it works out the way he thinks it will, because if I don't need to take any more meds to stay healthy that is the best thing I could ask for. Now I'm sure there would be exceptions, like when J and I get pregnant with #2 I will likely need to take the thinner shots again because of normal blood thickening while pregnant. I am 100% OK with that. It seems so far away now, that in December I might be totally done with blood thinners and pills after 2 years of needing them.

That was the 1st good thing.

Next, we put an offer on a house yesterday! It is J's uncle's old house, that used to belong to J's great grandmother. It is smaller than the one we rent right now but still has everything we need, new windows, and the roof and siding are just a few years old. Furnace is 1 year old. Basement is not totally finished, but I like it anyways. The walls down there are concrete and we could easily drywall over them and put decent flooring down. He would put his weight equipment down there. The master bedroom looks big enough for our bedroom furniture which is hard to find around here, and the other bedroom will make a perfect nursery. If our offer gets approved by the bank we get posession June 1, but since J's aunt has the key we could start painting/moving in earlier than that. We should know the answer around Tuesday, and give them the down payment of $2700 on Friday. The mortgage would only be around $250-300/mo which would save us a couple hundred bucks from what we pay now in rent. I am very excited and am crossing my fingers that everything goes through. I hope to get good news when we get back from Winnipeg after Monday!

That was the 2nd good thing!

Last but absolutely not least, we leave tonight to go to Winnipeg. We will stay 2 nights and spend some time looking for the best fitting carseat for our stroller. Then Monday morning, we head to the hospital for our big anatomy ultrasound and will hopefully find out whether we're expecting a girl or a boy! I am getting more and more excited about it and just can't wait to find out. I have been feeling as though it is a girl this whole time, and dreaming about it. The other night I dreamed I just had this baby girl and was carrying her around, showing her off to everyone and telling them her name. It was really neat. On the other hand, I have had one dream that it was a boy and I do think it would be easier to have a boy. I don't mind, either way I will be thrilled! It is so exciting to know we're so close to finding out, just to think that this time 2 days from now we should know what we're having!

That is the 3rd good thing!

So I hope that good things do come in 3's. I will have an answer to all of these questions by next weekend, and will enjoy every second in the meantime knowing what I have to look forward to in December with getting off the meds!

16 Weeks 6 Days - Hope Baby Likes This Stroller as Much as I Do!

We finally got this shipped to us today!

After waiting for it to get through Customs for a week and a half, we picked it up this morning and J put it together on his lunch break! I LOVE this stroller! It's the Urban Advantage by gogobabyz, and it is perfect! It is sturdy, compact, turns on a dime, and best of all it is super cute. We liked the blue the best, regardless of whether we have a boy or girl. Compared to all of the strolers I tried out in stores, this one tops them all, which is awesome because I couldn't try this one before buying! The company's customer service is awesome, too. We were on the phone with the guy a few times because J's sis-in-law had ordered two of these, one for her and one for me, and they got theirs a week and a half ago, and ours never showed up! So we played phone tag with customer service for a few days until they tracked it down and it finally made its way to us. Not only were they great to deal with, but J called to ask about air-filled tires and how much $$ they would be to order, and the guy sent us out 2 sets totally free :) So we are thrilled to have nice tires on the way and so is sis-in-law about her free set!

We are now super excited to take the stroller to Winnipeg the weekend of May 9 so we can find out which infant car seat fits best onto it. It is so nice to have the big things on the way already, because baby will be here in a little over 5 months! May 10 is the next big day when we get our BIG ultrasound done to check the anatomy and hopefully find out if we've got a baby boy or sweet little girl! Just a week and a half away, can hardly wait!

15 Weeks - Little Baby Ninja!

Aimee came up with that one... Our baby is a ninja!

It might be a bit hard to tell but the little munchkin is lying with the head on the right, facing out, and the bigger round shape to the left is the body, with a foot along the top, doing some kind of funky ninja kick at the screen!

Our appointment yesterday went really well. The nurse tried to listen to the heartbeat on the doppler but wasn't having much luck because the little one was wiggling out of the way every time. We heard lots of little thumps and bumps that turned out to be the baby kicking and punching away in my belly! I didn't know that could even be heard... and it was funny because I can't feel it moving around in there, but it was pretty active and squirming all over the place! We got to see the little one on ultrasound to measure the heartbeat (140), and saw just how much bigger he or she has gotten since last time. It's a big difference! Baby is 15 weeks, and close to 4 inches long. J says it looks like a little alien right now! We saw the face, of course not totally developed yet but we saw the eyes and mouth, and the legs were curled up so a foot was up by the face! It was great and I just love getting to see the little one so often. We go back on May 10 for the big 18 week ultrasound, which will take longer and we should be able to find out the gender, as long as he or she cooperates! I can hardly wait, just 3 1/2 more weeks!

The long-awaited belly shots...

Sunday April 4, at 13 w 2 d
Sunday, April 11, at 14 w 2 d

More belly pics to come, bigger and better!!!

14 Weeks, 5 Days - Can't Wait for Tomorrow Morning!

Ack, I even had trouble getting to sleep last night over it! Tomorrow at 10:30am is another appt. with my awesome pregnancy doctor, and I can't wait to see the little one and see how much he/she has grown since 7 weeks ago! Maybe even get a 'guess' at the sex? It is still pretty early but a guess would be fun. I am feeling awesome and can't wait to get to the appt. tomorrow. Even if it means waiting in the waiting room an hour again and having to pee in a cup. Oh and also, we ordered our stroller last week and it should be arriving sometime today! If we're still at home that is, we will be leaving for the city in another hour or 2! So exciting!

We also ordered the crib and change table, the change table will be here this week and the crib will be another month. At least we did it with lots of time in advance! So things are starting to come together for us!

Also while we're in the city I will be taking advantage of the fact that there are ACTUAL maternity stors there. I am starting to outgrow most of my shirts and just 2 'mat' tops aren't cutting it anymore. Not even real mat shirts, just cute empire-style shirts that I had hoped would work. However since my belly has finally started to show these last couple weeks I find myself needing something more comfy! So I'm excited about that too!

Well I am sorry to make this short and sweet but I've gotta get working on lunch and packing stuff for tonight & tomorrow. Will be back soon with tomorrow's news and hopefully an adorable baby pic!