Today is V-Day!

Today the baby is 24 weeks old. I feel like this is a pretty big milestone since this is his "Viability Day." At this point, the baby may have a chance of surviving on his own. Granted, it's not a great chance and there would still be lots of problems involved if he was born now. I certainly wouldn't want that. However, it's nice to know that Andrew has a chance at life now, no matter how small.

Andrew has been very active this week, which is so neat to feel. Friday night, he was kicking for almost four hours, which is the longest stretch that I've ever felt him kick. DH finally got to feel him kick Friday night too, which we've both been waiting for. DH said the kicks were still pretty light though. It's funny, because the kicks feel so strong to me. Last night, I could have sworn that Andrew practically popped my belly button out of my stomach.

I've also been feeling great this week, which is a nice change. Morning sickness seems to have finally left. I'm also over the flu that I had a couple of weeks ago. The only negative at the moment is my emotions. I've been crying off and on all day for pretty much no reason. I've also been pretty clingy with DH this weekend, which I have and am sort of embarrassed about. Hopefully I'll be able to get over that soon.

On another note, I finally finished my baby registry last week. That was quite an ordeal and I'm glad to be done. There are just so many decisions to be made and I'm still second-guessing the items I registered for, despite all of the research I did before registering. My Mom sent out the invitations this week too and people have started getting them. My shower is on 10/4 and I'm really excited for it!

How far along? 24 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: I was still down about three pounds at my last appointment. I feel like I've gained at least five pounds or so at this point, but I guess we'll see at my appointment Wednesday.
Maternity clothes? I'm wearing maternity clothes most of the time, though I still fit in a few regular clothes.
Stretch marks? Nothing new.

Best moment this week: DH feeling the baby kick on Friday!!

Movement: Lots of movement--he's getting really strong.
Food cravings: I've been really into the Friendly's peanut butter cup ice cream cups this week.
Gender: Boy.
Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Frozen strawberry margaritas.

What I am looking forward to: Getting the nursery furniture set up. DH has the crib put together and about half of the bureau done.
Weekly Wisdom: I don't know that I have any new wisdom, other than going to bed when you get tired--even if it's absurdly early.

Milestones: V-day!

Appointment update

I just had another Level II ultrasound today as a follow-up to the "big ultrasound" because they couldn't get all the images last time. I took my Mom with me to this ultrasound since DH doesn't have a lot of vacation time. It was so cute watching her grin the whole time while watching the ultrasound!

Little Andrew is doing really well. Unfortunately, they still haven't gotten to check the heart, but the doctor said that's pretty common. He is super active and around 1.3 pounds (47th percentile). I've been really nervous about his size because my blood pressure is pretty high (though it's stayed just low enough to let me avoid meds) and I'm at high risk for GD (I passed the 3-hour at 20 weeks, though I need to take it again around 26 weeks). Between those two things, I just get nervous about where he is measuring.

I met with my high-risk OB after the ultrasound and she said she's really happy with where I am right now. My blood pressure is staying in check and I've avoided GD so far. I'm also still down a few pounds, which is where she wanted me to be at this point since I'm overweight.

They also double-checked that he is still a boy, which is a relief because we just painted the nursery last weekend!

Halfway there!

I have officially hit the halfway point of my pregnancy--I'm 20 weeks today! Crazy! Now if only I could start to show a little bit--pretty please? I still have no (new) belly. I think my cute baby bump is hiding under a few layers of fat. Oh well.

It would be nice to look pregnant, but I'm psyched that the baby is doing so well. He's been kicking me for a few weeks now and I've already felt him a couple of times today. It's such a cool feeling.

How far along? 20 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: I gained back two pounds at my last appointment, but I'm still down three pounds.
Maternity clothes? I wear maternity clothes a little more than half the time. I still have a pair of larger jeans that fits. I really love my maternity capri pants though.
Stretch marks? Nothing new.

Best moment this week: Picking up the crib, dresser, and bedding.

Movement: Yes, and pretty often. Our little boy is very active!
Food cravings: I've wanted ice cream a lot this week. I'm not sure it was really a craving though.
Gender: Little Andrew Stafford is all boy!
Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Caffeinated Pepsi and frozen strawberry margaritas.

What I am looking forward to: Getting the nursery painted and the nursery furniture set up.
Weekly Wisdom: Go to bed when you start to get tired, even if it's early.

Milestones: Halfway point!

We ordered the bedding

We ordered the bedding for our little guy--and we named him! Pretty exciting, huh? His name is Andrew Stafford. We just liked the name "Andrew" and "Stafford" is after DH's grandfather who passed away. I love the name. I actually started calling him it in my head during the ultrasound.

All along, I've wanted a nautical theme if we had a boy. I found a set for a great price at Walmart of all places. Of course, I never planned to have all of the baby's furniture and now bedding and accessorize come from Walmart, but the prices and reviews were just too good to pass up. Here are some pics of the bedding we picked out.

I have a penis inside me!

So, we had the big ultrasound today--and it's a boy! Wow, I really was expecting a girl so I'm a little surprised. We are so excited though. He was really active during the ultrasound and I was worried that he wasn't going to show us the goods. Luckily, he listed to his Mommy's request and started flashing us with his little penis. We got to see it several times. I never thought I'd be so happy to have a little exhibitionist!

The baby was also doing several other cute things. At one point he was sucking his thumb, then he was waving at us. Adorable. He also kept flipping around and we got some good views of him doing a handstand. So cute.

The baby's heartbeat was 130 today, which is solid boy range (if you believe in OWT). He is also really big. He was 11 ounces today, which is farther ahead than I've been reading online. (BabyCenter says the baby should be 7 ounces today and Your Pregnancy Week by Week says around 5 1/2 ounces.)

I'm a little nervous about what to do with a boy and I'm a little scared of the first time he tries to bring me a caterpillar or bug to show me. It should be a lot of fun though. Yay!

Baby Poppy's Gender

So we find out the gender of Poppy this Thursday. I'm so excited. I thought it would be fun to go through some old wives tales before we find out the gender.

It's a boy if:
· You didn't experience morning sickness in early pregnancy
· Your baby's heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute
· You are carrying the extra weight out front
· Your belly looks like a basketball
· Your areolas have darkened considerably
· You are carrying low
· You are craving salty or sour foods
· You are craving protein -- meats and cheese
· Your feet are colder than they were before pregnancy
· The hair on your legs has grown faster during pregnancy
· Your hands are very dry
· Your pillow faces north when you sleep
· Dad-to-be is gaining weight, right along with you
· Pregnancy has you looking better than ever
· Your urine is bright yellow in color
· Your nose is spreading
· You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves in circles
· You are having headaches
· You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an even number

It's a girl if:
· You had morning sickness early in pregnancy
· Your baby's heart rate is at least 140 beats per minute
· You are carrying the weight in your hips and rear
· Your left breast is larger than your right breast
· Your hair develops red highlights
· You are carrying high
· Your belly looks like a watermelon
· You are craving sweets
· You are craving fruit
· You crave orange juice
· You don't look quite as good as normal during pregnancy
· You are moodier than usual during pregnancy
· Your face breaks out more than usual
· You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread
· Your breasts have really blossomed!
· Your pillow faces south when you sleep
· Your urine is a dull yellow color
· You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves from side to side
- You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an odd number

Boy wives tales: 8
Girl wives tales: 11

Web sites
Bump.com Chinese Gender Chart: Girl
Just Mommies: Girl
Babyman: Girl
Mom Quizzes: Girl
Madame Zaritska: Girl
BabyGenderPrediction.com: Girl

Hmmm...all signs seem to be pointing toward a little girl. I'm pretty sure I'll be having a boy then. ;)

18 weeks today!

I can't believe the baby is now 18 weeks. The baby is now 5 1/2 inches long and 7 ounces. Crazy.

For the last week or so, I've been feeling some twinges that could be the baby moving. It feels like little vibrations. I've heard of people feeling little gas bubbles, which is actually pretty similar to what I'm feeling. I'm still not positive that I've felt movement, but there's a good chance that I am. I guess I'll know in a few more weeks.

Today we ordered the crib and dresser. I'm excited about this, but also a little freaked out. For some reason, that makes it even more real. In 22 more weeks, there will be a baby here who will sleep in our house and who we will actually take home with us. That kind of hit me when we ordered the furniture. Here are pictures of it.

How far along? 18 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: I think I gained back about a pound of the five pounds I lost in 1st Tri, so I'm probably around -4 now.
Maternity clothes? I started wearing maternity capris more often. They are so comfy. I haven't been wearing maternity tops though.
Stretch marks? Nothing new.
Sleep: I've started staying up a bit later now, though I end up getting so tired that it's hard to go up to bed. I've also been using the snoogle almost every night because my lower back gets tired.

Best moment this week: Ordering the nursery furniture.

Movement: I think I'm starting to feel movement. It feels like little vibrations so far.
Food cravings: I've been really into yellow cupcakes lately.
Gender: Right now I'm thinking girl, but I'm really not sure. I'll find out Thursday though!
Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Strawberry margaritas and regular Pepsi.

What I am looking forward to: The big ultrasound on Thursday!!!

Weekly Wisdom: Go to bed before you get so tired that you can barely walk up the stairs!
Milestones: I'm probably starting to feel the baby move.