It's A....

Last week we had another Dr.'s visit.  Although the doc. was 2 hours late (he was in a car accident), we were as excited about this visit as we were the first one- this was the appointment where we could find out the gender of our baby.  As soon as the doc. slathered me in gel and placed the ultrasound monitor on me, he immediately asked if we wanted to know the gender.  Two seconds after we said that we did, he said IT'S A BOY!!!  We were super excited to hear the news! 

Although it didn't matter whether it was a boy or a girl, I had a sneaking suspicion that it was a boy.  The only slight concern at this point in the pregnancy is that the placenta is laying low.  I don't have placenta previa, just a low lying placenta.  The doc. said that usually the placenta will shift upward as the baby grows, towards the greater blood supply, and that it will not go any lower.  I will have another ultrasound at 28 weeks that should give more detail as to whether or not it has shifted.  If it hasn't shifted, there is a greater potential for a C-section.  Right now, baby Raynor has lots more growing to do, and we have no real worries.

On to the reveal...

This weekend we had both sides of our families over for our annual 4th of July celebration.  While we had a scheduled Dr's appointment for the week after the 4th, we asked the doc. if we could do it the week before, and thus we did.  All along our families thought that our Dr.'s visit wasn't until the week after the 4th.  So, Bill and I decided that we would tell our families this past weekend (since they would all be together and would know at the same time)- what we were having.  So-I had ordered a cake from Blue Moon Bakery in Cary, and had the inside icing tinted blue.  Right before we served lunch, I grabbed the cake from the refrigerator and had Bill's mom to cut in to it.  Once the family saw that it was blue icing, the screaming and excitement ensued!  They all seemed very extatic to have been a part of that very special moment with us!  (it didn't hurt that the cake was pretty tasty too!)

Updated Due Date!

I almost forgot to add to the previous post that there is an updated due date.  Our Dr. had taken two ultrasounds - one said that we were due on November 17th and the other said November 13th.  So the Doc said this time that the due date is November 15th.  Really what that means is...nothing.  The baby will come when it's ready to come (which is what I say, not the Doc.), but if it is more than a week later than the 15th and the baby hasn't come yet, then I will be induced. 

18 weeks prego and doing great!

We had another Dr.'s visit this week and everyone is doing great!  We heard the heartbeat (142 bpm) again, and we hope that at our next Dr.'s appointment that we will be able to determine the gender of our baby!  In a few weeks I have some time off of work, so I hope to begin decorating the nursery then.  Fun times!

This week I realized that I am not going to be able to do be Superwoman for the next few months (at least).  I was on my feet all of Thursday and Friday afternoon, and then I helped Bill move some new furniture into our home last night.  Needless to say that I am thankful for Friday nights and Saturday mornings so that (for now) I can get some good rest!  I was totally exhausted!

Another Dr Visit, Another Picture

Hello everyone, Erin and I had another Dr visit on Wednesday 20 April, 2011.  When he walked in he asked Erin if she ever smiled - that he can never tell what she is thinking?!  Then he turned to me and said he can always tell what I am thinking.  The Dr. said this was just a check to make sure everything was going well with us.  He said he likes to do another ultrasound but since it wasn't mandatory he wouldn't charge us for it.  This time we could see a head, body, and little arms.  The Dr. said everything looks perfect so far.  In the picture the head is down and to the right, the arms are just visible nubs off the body, and you really can't make out the legs (which Erin said was just like a duck - she loves this duck metaphor). Anyway, wanted to upload the picture for you all.  Thank you for sharing in this special time with us! 

So tired!

So, we are following the pregnancy on babycenter.com, and it states that it is very common to feel very fatigued and to have trouble sleeping during the first trimester.  I am sooo experiencing both of those!  Just exhausted almost all of the time!  I suppose this is how it will be for the next two years!

Our first ultrasound!

If you look in the black area, you can see the spot that looks like an upside down little duck- that's our baby!  (it's lightly marked wtih two little + signs) It's the pic at the bottom of this page.

There's a heartbeat!

Thursday, March 31st Bill and I headed to the dr. for our first real appointment.  We knew that we would receive either heartbreaking or very exciting news.  Exciting it was!  It was very surreal and amazing to see the baby and it's heartbeat on the ultrasound.  So far, everything is good!  We are seven weeks pregnant and our next appointment is on April 20th.  I count myself blessed thus far that I haven't experienced any morning sickness (although I have been rather hungry and tired).

 The doctor has given us the due date of November 17th, although only like 10% of babies are actually born on their due date, and first time pregnancies are usually late.  I had been praying for a while that God would bless us with a healthy and normal baby (and will continue to do so).  It was odd that we were getting to the point where we started to think about when the best time to have a baby was.  Well, with the many of our family birthdays being in the winter, and with all of the family festivities that occur then as well, we were thinking that we should put a halt to the process for a while.  Well, God had different plans for us.  He has shown us the first lesson in parenthood (well, for life in general): we are not in control!

Last night Bill and I celebrated with dinner at a japanese restaurant (which is my favorite).  I was nervous at first, because they say that pregnant women have an increased sense of smell, which can make them nauseated.  Sigh of relief- I enjoyed the meal and had no side effects!  We then travelled down the road to Target where we scoped out the baby aisle.  It was fun to go through and see all of the cute stuff they have for babies these days.  It was even more cute to see Bill and his reaction to it all.  He had no idea that a baby could have so much stuff.  I suppose this baby may give Bill a run for his money in the "who has more stuff" category! 

Well, we are purchasing a new camera tomorrow to help capture this very important stage in our lives.  So, be on the lookout for new pics that hopefully will be posted regularly.  We are very excited to share our new life with you!