Week 15 - Steph's Birthday and The Homestead

Tomorrow I am 15 weeks! Time is really flying, and I have been feeling great. Thankfully, my appetite has decreased - I no longer need to eat every 15 minutes! Clothes are still fitting well, aside from being unable to button my pants. Bella bands are amazing! They hold your pants up so that you can leave them unbuttoned. It is my favorite article of clothing.

We leave tomorrow, Stephanie's birthday, for the Homestead Resort in Glen Arbor, MI. I can't wait! There are six of us going: my mom, Grandma Joanie, Stephanie, Mike (her fiance), Jordan and me. We rented a big condo so we can all stay together. Jordan and I plan to return to the Homestead next year with Baby B for a nice relaxing Summer vacation.

Speaking of relaxing, we haven't had a minute of relaxation since we closed on the house. All of the work is paying off though, and there is an end in site. Our move date is next Saturday, September 6th. I'll post pictures as soon as the house is looking presentable.

Baby Belly - 14 Weeks

Well, my belly has really started growing this week. Not sure if it's due to my ravenous hunger or Baby B, but I'm hoping it's the later! Jordan insisted on taking and posting this photo.

Sequential Screen Results

We got our sequential screen results today and everything is looking good! The sequential screen tests the likelihood for the baby to have Down Syndrome or Trisomy. They will test again at 16 weeks, and then look at the combined tests to develop more accurate results. For now our risk level is the lowest which is 1 in 10,000 for both Down Syndrome and Trisomy.

We still have five weeks to go until we *hopefully* find out the baby's sex. I think we've picked out almost everything for the nursery now, so it's just a matter of determining colors.

Our new house is coming along too! We took out a wall, put up recessed lighting and all new fixtures, and now we are just waiting on paint and carpet for the kids' rooms. I'll post pictures once the work is done and we are moved in. It is really looking great though - it's amazing what a few small updates can do!

12 Week Ultrasound

We had our second ultrasound today and everything looked good. Baby B looks like a little person now, instead of the blob we saw at 6 weeks! The baby has a strong heart, and is in the 68th percentile for size (I think she said 6 cm). Baby B kept trying to cover his/her face with its hand - I guess the baby has stage fright. Apparently his/her hand was in the way of the ultrasound tech's measurements because every time the hand would go up, the tech would jab me in the belly so Baby B would move. Sadly, she didn't get any good pictures of Baby B's hand... you'll have to just take my word for it that it was a very cute little hand. You can kind of see his/her hand in the top photo below.

We set up an ultrasound for 19 weeks where we can hopefully find out the sex. I can't wait - then the nursery planning can begin!

The Heartbeat

Today was my 11 week check-up and I got to hear Baby B's heartbeat. It was incredibly fast, which is normal. I scheduled the next Ultrasound for August 12, a week from Tuesday. I can't wait! Everyone has told me that it is the best ultrasound because you can see the entire baby at one time. I'm sure Baby B is very handsome/pretty :) There is a small chance we could find out the sex as well. If not, we will have to wait until the next ultrasound at 18 – 20 weeks. I wish I had more patience - all of this waiting is killing me! At least not knowing the sex is keeping my shopping in check…

The Announcement

We told our parents and grandparents yesterday about Baby B over lunch at our house by handing out framed ultrasound pictures personalized with Grandma, Grandpa, Great Grandma and Great Grandpa messaging. It was a very exciting day! After we finished lunch, we took everyone over to see our new house. We've already picked which room is going to be the nursery, and I can't wait to start decorating it. We most likely won't close until sometime in September, and then the planning can begin!

We got all of the remaining blood work results back today and everything is great. So far, so good. I'm feeling much better, and have my appetite back. I am ALWAYS hungry!

First Ultrasound

Today was our first ultrasound and it was incredible to see Baby B! We saw and heard the hearbeat, although he/she just looks like a blob right now.



I am 6 weeks and 5 days pregnant, which means I am due February 20. This was great news, I can still go to Florida this year!!! They did all of my bloodwork while we were there, and Jordan said they took 12 vials of blood. I didn't watch, but it took forever.

We've decided to tell our family a week from Sunday, July 13. I can't wait! It's so hard to keep this a secret.