Whew...

        I feel like one of those blog "slackers".. but my excuses are good! Promise! :)

        My work schedule is finally getting back to normal. My position at work is that of a "float", I have a set 3 days that I work (tues-thus), and then if someone is out sick or on vacation.... I'm expected to cover. With working more and finishing up school I have been very busy! Yes, I just said "finishing up school".. I am DONE with this chapter.. and proud to say my overall GPA is 3.56.. I'm just sooo glad to have all this hard work and time, locked in! :)

        Last weekend Ryan and I began to clean & purge! We both will have 5 days off coming up and are looking forward to getting a lot of little things done that we have been meaning to do.. as well as get the room that will be the babies.. thoroughly cleaned out! 

        Speaking of baby.. baby is doing great! We are 23w3d and kicking, punching, jumping.. like a champ! :) Seeing that my OB office and my work are across the hall from one another, I stopped over last week to see if we could try once more to get a better profile shot and this babe didn't fail me!

Profile.. with the lovely placenta above.. (love how u can see the "soft spots" on the head)

Profile with chin tucked!

My Fav... the "hey mom!" .. I love how u can see every detail of the left hand .. <3

         During the quick ultrasound we also discovered that the baby had flipped! Which explained my cramping and weird sensations I was feeling "low".. it's lil legs were just a kicking away at my cervix! My cervix was also measuring 4.07cm.. which at this point pretty much takes away the concern of it being, or becoming, incompetent! My 24w appt is next thurs... I get to do my sugar test again.. and i'm confident everything will be fine! Crazy to think that after my 28w appt, I'll be starting my bi-weekly appts! It's all going by sooooo fast.. everyone keeps saying.. just wait, the last weeks will feel like an eternity.. so far I'm not believing it! :)

Last weeks photo!

Hiccups!

      I do believe that at this moment ... the babe is experiencing its first round of the hiccups. The repetitious movement at my belly button and above my pelvis.. is far to repetitive to be the morning kicks and rolls we normally expierence! I personally hate getting the hiccups! Though the feeling of the babe having them feels neat.. I still feel bad for the babe! It can't being any fun to be jolted involuntary! As always.. There's a first time for everything.. :)

21 weeks... for real??

       Well, we had our 20week appt. on 11/29... it's was everything I had hoped and expected! My Dr. told Ryan and I that we did a great job.. and that we have a "perfect" baby on our hands.. as well as a perfect pregnancy... it was the best compliment I think anyone has ever given either of us! The baby was pretty snuggled up, but it's legs we just a going... future runner or soccer player? :) We did NOT find out the sex... Ryan looked the entire time.. mainly because he has no clue what he's looking at, and the lady was not pointing out it's "parts". I did glance for a sec. to see what he was looking at.. and thought there was a possibility I saw girl "parts", though it was literally for a split sec. and who knows what I was ACTUALLY looking at. Ryan stated that he thinks it's a boy... I said well did you see a penis? and he said he didn't know what he saw.. but he saw "something"... Who knows what that something was.. heck.. It could have been the umbilical cord! ;) So just as we wanted.. we are perplexed on the gender of our lil being.

Profile.. baby was facing down and back... so the image is a lil blurry!

Baby kissing or sucking wrist.. :)

Baby was facing down (cervix is to the R of babies head) and it's lil butt and legs are kicking me in the belly button! :)

      
          Yesterday I happened to be browsing through Erica's old US pics of her first child Addy.. and I found this!!

My baby.. and Ericas.. in the exact same postion!! :)

        I am feeling a lot more movement. The baby seems to be awake around 3am-4am.. and then sporadically throughout the day! I LOVE 3am-4am.. though it's makes for one sleepy momma! I can tell the babies head is down most of the time.. and I get nice strong kicks at the top of my uterus.. right around my belly button!

This belly is getting bigger by the min! I am told i'm in for a major growth spurt in the next 4 weeks! watch out!!

          Well that's all the news for now... I am now just patiently waiting for my mothers frame to come in the mail.. so I can ship it out! Once she knows.. I will finally be able to spill the beans to the world.. it's now becoming more of a chore to keep this a secret!! 

"Wow... The baby's strong" - Ryan

      I am so happy/excited... Early this morning while our being was doing its morning jungle gym routine, I had placed my hands on my stomach and was feeling several kicks/movements on the outside! I grab Ryan's hand and placed it where I felt the last thud .... Thinking of course now that his hand was there it'd stop... Low and behold our lil being brought out its strongest movement yet.. Which is when Ryan stated "wow... The babies strong.."! My heart is overflowing with joy! <3

20 weeks?! That's bananas! :)

       That right we are 20 weeks and our "wiggler" (because it's been wiggly ALL morning <3) is now the size of a ......

(Apx. 10.5oz and 6.5in long from head to bottom or 10in from head to heel)

      It is also finally the week of our big appointment... Thurs. folks!! I simply can not wait to see our amazing babe... and I'm pretty sure Ryan is equally as excited! He doesn't get to feel all the love nudges .. so seeing it on the US is his only way to interact at this point.. besides taking care of me or "dealing" with me! ha ha

      Yesterday I finally purchased the frames for my mom and dad... I will make copies of the photos from Thurs. to put in them! This will for sure be a Christmas they'll never forget :) I will also be making picture Christmas cards to send out to the rest of our friends and family!

      Well I guess i'll keep busy with school work... it's almost over!!! I'm excited to spend time cleaning...purging...and organizing! This baby will be here before we know it! :)

Don't want to fall asleep.. Cause I'll miss u baby and I don't want to miss a thing!

       Here I am laying in bed ... So tired.. but our lil being is doing somersaults and I LOVE it! If I go to sleep it means I'll miss out on all of it's twists and turns! ;) I suppose I should just take in what I can for the night.. and be thankful I have about 20 more weeks of this amazing feeling! :) ( though rumor has it.. these lil beings get stronger w/ time...and these lil somersaults may not be as sweet) <3

Nothing says Thanksgiving like a ....

    
        I meant to post this blog a few days ago... but that obviously didn't happen! As of today we are 19w5d... I can not believe that in 2 days we will have reached the 1/2 way point.. has it really been 20 weeks?!?(I mean i've only known for 17 weeks.. but still) Just doesn't seem possible! At this rate .. our lil being will be here before we know it! There are all sorts of lil nudges going on inside this "oven". Today while listening for the HB I found the lil stinker all the way up by my belly button...which is just about where my uterus ends at this point!

       People on FB have been posting what they are thankful for everyday.. I myself am thankful for sooo much but am most thankful for the "bun" I am baking!

       Ryan is so funny.. he says to me yesterday.. "why does your stomach indent just past ur belly button? isn't the whole belly supposed to be big and round?" I told him oh just wait!! :) (see last post....to understand what he was talking about)

       Only 5 more days till our "BIG" US... and just over 2 weeks before the world knows! :)