It's a.........

BOY!! It turns out that our little girl is actually a boy. It is a relief to finally know so that I can start planning! I can't wait to decorate the nursery and buy cute little baby boy clothes! Colby was 100% sure that it was a girl, so he looked a little stunned when Dr. Nilson said that is was a boy. Now that the news has sunk in, he is looking a little more excited. We didn't really get any good ultrasound pictures this time, but Dr. Nilson says that everything looks good. I am 16 weeks and 5 days pregnant. Our next appointment will be March 29.

there's a baby in there

After 14 and a half weeks, I finally feel pregnant! Until now, the fact that we're going to have a baby has seemed like a dream. Looking at ultrasound pictures of the baby and watching the baby flip and move on the sonogram has felt like an out of body experience. It has been hard to imagine that there is a baby growing inside of me. This morning, I was sitting on the couch after work and felt a "swishing" in my lower abdomen, like fish swimming around. The feeling only lasted about 15 seconds and it was gone. Everyone says that the baby's first movements feel like bubbles or butterflies. I'm pretty sure I felt the baby moving for the first time and it makes the whole pregnancy experience seem real! Now that I am through the first trimester, I am beginning to feel slightly less nauseous and am looking forward to being able to enjoy the second trimester. I have started to "pop" just a little and can feel my uterus protruding in my lower abdomen. We can't wait to see our baby again at the next appointment!

our second appointment

When he walked into the room, the first thing Dr. Nilson said was, "Do you want to know what it is?" "Yes!" we both said. "Any family bets?" he asked. I told him that I think it's a boy. "It looks like a girl," he said. He explained that he can usually tell the baby's gender with 80% accuracy at 11 weeks, 90% accuracy at 12 weeks, and almost 100% accuracy at 13 weeks. Since I am only 12 weeks, there is still a slight chance that the baby could be a boy. We should know with more certainty at our next appointment. He did tell us not to paint the room yet, but to start picking out girl names. Colby and I are both so excited to be having a baby girl!!

During the ultrasound, the baby was spinning, flipping, and moving around so much that I was afraid we wouldn't be able to get any good pictures. However, we got some great 3D pictures where you can see the baby's eyes, ears, arms, legs, fingers, and toes. It is so amazing to me that the baby is moving around so much and I still can't feel a thing!

Dr. Nilson says that everything looks great! I am 11 weeks and 5 days...almost through the first trimester! Our next appointment will be on February 9.

our first appointment

Today we went to the doctor and had our first sonogram! It was such a relief to actually see the baby and hear the heartbeat for the first time!

At the bottom, you can see the fetal heart beat. The heart rate was 165 bpm. Dr. Nilson said that according to an old wive's tale, the heart rate indicates that the baby will be a girl. I personally have a feeling that its a boy! I guess we'll find out soon!

I know the pictures are really blurry and it is hard to tell what is going on, so here is a quick rundown. The black on the left side of the picture is the gestational sac. This is the first indication of pregnancy. The gray area that covers the right side of the picture is the uterus. The baby is right in the center of the picture. The faint ring that surrounds the baby is the amniotic sac. The dark black spot at the top of the baby is the hindbrain.

I am 7 weeks and 5 days pregnant. Our next appointment will be January 12, 2010. Our due date is July 29, 2010. We can't wait to meet this baby!

telling colby's family

Saturday, 11/28/09

We spent Friday night and Saturday in Ponca City with Colby's family for the Thanksgiving holiday. Saturday, Brian and Krystle also came over to help celebrate Curtis's and Debbie's birthdays. We bought Colby's parents each a birthday card and a baby bib. Curtis's card said "Happy Birthday Grandpa" and Debbie's card had a bunch of different words for "grandma" since she doesn't want to be called "grandma". After a wonderful breakfast made by Krystle, we sat down to open birthday presents. Colby and I asked them to read the cards first and open them at the same time. Curtis immediately realized what we were trying to say and looked over at me with a smile on his face. Debbie proceeded to read through her card, not quite realizing what it meant. Finally, she realized that they were going to be grandparents. Everyone was very excited! We took lots of pictures and Curtis showed us the picture of him and Debbie when they first found out that they were pregnant with Colby.

telling my family

Wednesday, 11/25/09

We searched all day for the same Walmart baby bibs with the words "grandma", "auntie", and "grandpa" on them. We never did find a "grandpa" bib, so we ended up getting a different one from Target for my dad. That night, we went to Bartlesville to spend some time with my family before Thanksgiving. My parents, sisters, Grandma Betty, and Maddie's boyfriend, Colton, were already there. We walked into the house with packages in our hands telling everyone that we had gotten them all "Thanksgiving presents". After dinner, we handed out the presents, telling everyone to open them at the same time. They opened them and someone said, "Are you pregnant?!!" in a surprised, but excited, voice. Then there was screaming, hugs, and congratulations.

Patricia, Ray, Merrick, and Aaron arrived a little later. My mom decided that everyone would be wearing the bibs as they walked in the door. They looked a little confused at first about why everyone was wearing bibs. It took them a little while to catch on, but when they did, there was more screaming and congratulations.

Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, 11/26/09

The rest of the family arrived for Thanksgiving dinner along with my parent's good friends, Mike and Debbie Joosten. Before dinner, my mom made an announcement that some members of the family were messy eaters and then proceeded to pass out the bibs to my dad, sisters, and Grandma Betty. Everyone looked at each other with questioning looks as my parents and sisters put the bibs on. Then, they all realized that we were going to have a baby!

the big news

Saturday, 11/21/09

We planned to go to Stillwater to have Thanksgiving dinner at Dustin and Melody's house. I decided that morning that I wanted to take a pregnancy test, so I headed to Walmart, telling Colby that I needed to pick up some things for the meal that night. When I got back to the house, he headed out to run some errands and I took the opportunity to take the test. As I waited for the results, I began to get nervous. There it was...the blue line! It was positive! I couldn't quite believe it and I couldn't wait to tell Colby. Although I wanted to call him immediately and tell him the good news, I knew it would be more special if I thought of a memorable way to share the news. I decided to give him some kind of gift with the word "daddy" on it. On my way to Target to pick up the "gift", I thought that maybe I should buy a second pregnancy test just to be sure it was really true. This time I chose a brand name test instead of the generic Walmart brand. The blue + sign showed up immediately. I was definately pregnant! I told Colby that I wanted to do some shopping before we left and headed back to Walmart. I found the cutest baby bib the stated "i love daddy" and wrapped it in the car on my way back to house. Colby was taking a nap when I returned, so I woke him up telling him that I had a present for him. He didn't seem very interested in the present and went to the kitchen to start working on the stuffing for dinner that night. I said, "Don't you want to open your present?" He was still half-asleep when he opened it and just looked questionably at the bib. Then, his eyes lit up as he realized what I was trying to tell him. "No way!" he said, with tears in his eyes.