Progress

Another package arrived last weekend, some nice shirts for the momma and some cute necessities for the baby. Jeff modeling one of the several onsies received from Carol and Rich!

So Jeff and I finally made our first purchase for the baby. We ordered a crib and dresser last week, hoping that when it comes in it will be the color and look we're hoping for. The first of countless purchases for our child...

We also toured our first day care center. It was kind of icky, so hopefully there are some better options to come. It seems early to be doing this, but appearently the infant lists can get quite long, so we're starting early.

Um, and the belly, it started to pop out a lot more this week. I went on a business trip, Jeff could tell it was bigger when I got home! It looks exceptionally large in this photo, so I thought I'd share.

The current debate is weather or not to find out the sex. For all of you wondering if we're going to find out or not, we're leaning toward no. It's hard, since we're both such planners, but it would be the biggest surprise ever!

Does pregnancy cause grey hair?

I'm sure motherhood will, but I have pulled out more grey hairs the last few months! Good thing I'm getting my hair highlighted this week. I think the Packers cause grey hair too, and if some Grandparents have anything to say about it, this little one will be another Packer fan. It's a good thing Jeff has some roots in Green Bay too, so he doesn't mind (too much.) This, thanks to the Rudolphs!

Jeff and I had a great Thanksgiving weekend visiting with friends, painting accent walls in the kitchen and dining rooms and, of course, shopping. I guess there was one more notable event this weekend-I broke down and wore a pair of maternity pants for the first time. I'm down to two pair of jeans, and while they still fit when I'm standing, sitting has become quite uncomfortable. All that pinching and digging in... that elastic waist is so much more comfortable, though not very fashionable! I'm now 14 weeks pregnant and have gained 3 pounds. I don't mind sharing this information now, but 20 weeks from now I may not be so forthcoming. Claire has requested another belly picture, but it still looks pretty much the same as the last. I'll pose again within the next few weeks.

A *little* Gift

Leave it to Aunt Claire (OK, that sounds weird) to be the first to buy a gift for our new little one-a cute onsie that says 'my aunt loves me'! I think she's trying to make me look/feel bad, since I haven't bought a single thing yet. To be fair, Jeff and I have done some browsing, but I feel like that first purchase has to be something especially good or cute. I'll know it when I see it...

It has been a fun week making phone calls and telling friends and family the good news.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Surprise Ultrasound!

We had our 12 week prenatal appointment this morning, causing Shannon much anxiety and a little excitement. After all, hearing the heartbeat today means there is a 99% chance of a successful pregnancy, and we can start telling people!

Dr. found the heartbeat immediately with the Doppler thingy (baby listening thingy, not meteorological device) swishing away at 160 bpm, she said it 'sounds like a girl' but we won't be buying pink dresses based on that assessment! Whew, what a relief and now we're pretty sure this is real... Bloodwork from last visit came back normal, blah blah.

During the Q&A, Shannon asked about the cyst on her ovary that was seen during the last ultrasound. Dr. said, why don't we run into the ultrasound room and check it out. YES, AWESOME!!! Didn't really care about the cyst, just excited to sneak another peak at the baby! By the way, cyst is shrinking, all is well.


The baby had it's finger in the air like '#1'-cute! It definitely looks more babyesq this time around. It looks like a boy in this picture, but I'm pretty sure that's just the umbilical cord-I don't think boy parts are too visible yet.



















This was supposed to be a close-up of the face, you can see the eyes and mouth pretty clearly. It sort of looks like it has a bike helmet on...Jeff, teaching safety already :)

Immediately following the appointment, the 'grandparent packages' were dropped at the post office. I'm really hoping the Rudolph's get theirs before the weekend as Mom will be gone all weekend and it would be nice for her to find out before leaving. We're just happy to be experiencing a healthy pregnancy and everyone will know soon enough!

Week 10

Only about 30 more weeks to go... According to the internet (where everything is true), at ten weeks, 'the baby is about the size of a kumquat, a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature. He's kicking up a storm, vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver are in place and starting to function. Tiny nails are forming on fingers and toes and peach-fuzz hair is beginning to grow on tender skin. In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now and the outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin.'

I suppose I should comment on how I'm feeling, that's always the first question I ask when finding out someone is pregnant. I feel great. I mean, I think pregnancy is supposed to be harder than this! I've had no nausea and haven't gotten sick, I've had no headaches and rarely am tired. In the beginning I didn't have much of an appetite, but it's back which is good. I'm still running, going to spin class and strength training regularly. The hardest part is keeping my heartrate down a bit because I feel so good that I want to work out harder! I do feel like a bloodhound though-I can smell EVERYTHING! For the most part, I don't feel pregnant and consider myself very lucky to feel so good. And I've reminded Jeff that he's lucky too, because he would be suffering if I was sick :)

This picture was taken at 10 1/2 weeks, not exactly showing but my belly is definitely bigger and rounder than ever before!

For now, we're just anxiously awaiting our next doctor's appointment on Nov. 19. If all goes well, we'll finally start telling people!

Yikes!

So I just read that this child will probably be in the high school graduating class of 2027! That is forever away, and we'll be so old by then!!

The First Dr. Visit

For obvious reasons, we were scared to death for our first prenatal visit. After the initial pleasantries, we got to the good stuff...the ultrasound! We were very happy to see that a brand new ultrasound machine had arrived since my last visit three months ago. It even does 3D which could be very cool come week 20!

So anyway, the image immediately looked promising and Dr. pointed out the little heart thumping away. Then, she turned up the volume and we go to hear it beating! It is amazing to think that this little thing the size of a lima bean could have such an audible hearbeat! Thump, thump, thump, 161 beats per minute. Dr. assured us that even though the heart is racing, it's normal for this stage and even though it looks rather blob-like, 'everything looks good.' Thank god! She took some measurements, baby measured exactly 8 weeks so the due date is set in stone for June 2, 2008!

Now we can breath a little sigh of relief and start getting excited.

Camping

We spent week 7 of this pregnancy camping and hiking in Southern Utah. It started with a weekend of mountain bike racing in Moab for Jeff, then we continued on and visited Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and Goblin Valley. The scenery was amazing, and Shannon was a real trooper; complaining only occasionally about being tired or feeling queasy. The entire time we were anxious for our doctor's appointment next week and hoping for good news.

Jeff, showing off his wound after finishing his last lap of the 24 Hours of Moab mountain bike race.

In a few more months, Shannon won't fit in that hole anymore!

It's Positive!!!

I took a home pregnancy test this morning and it was positive!!! I couldn't believe it, I was trying to be patient and wait a few more days but Jeff was urging me to pee on a stick, so this morning I gave in. We were momentarily confused by the results, so had to consult the instructions, but a faint line is a line and it's positive!

In the week to follow, I would take 4 more tests before finally starting to believe it :) The journey (and this blog) begins...