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!