22 Weeks!

Randy was finally able to feel the baby move last night! I've been feeling him move regularly for about a week now but he usually stopped right when I would grab Randy's hand. He was pretty active last night though and Randy felt him moving all around. He just kept grinning and saying how weird it was that there was a little person in there.

The baby weighs about 1 pound now and is about 8 inches long. His fingernails, eyelids, and eyebrows are now developed and he can tell the difference between light and dark. I read that we could shine a flashlight on my stomach and that might make him move to turn away from the light but that seems kind of cruel to me. Something to keep in mind if we get desperate for activity though I guess.

I've been trying to stock up on maternity clothes for the past week which is kind of fun since I can just sit on the couch and pick what I want from gap and old navy.com. :) On the other hand, even though I've been buying things I never feel like I have anything to wear when I'm getting ready every day so that part is not so fun.

I'm still feeling pretty great at week 22. I've noticed it's a little harder to roll over in bed and to sit up only because I get the sharp round ligament pain in my stomach. (That's the pain caused by all of the stretching that's going on in there to make room for baby.) As long as I move slowly like an old woman though, it's fine so I can't really complain.

We're planning on starting to register this weekend and ordering a glider. I also ordered a fabric swatch of bedding and am hoping it will come in and be the right colors. We want to do blue and brown but are having a hard time finding bedding that's the right shade and pattern. Hopefully it will all come together soon and you'll see the wall behind me in this picture start to change colors!

2 more weeks until the 24 week appointment which will be a 15-20 minute sonogram so we should get a new video and some good pics of the baby if he cooperates.

This is Cooper's first appearance on the blog... :)

20 Weeks!

20 weeks this week - the official halfway point! I had my 20 week appointment this morning and it's still a boy! Good thing too because I can't imagine having to come back and tell Randy it's not a boy after all! (They normally don't do a sonogram at the 20 week visit so Randy didn't come to this one but they ended up doing one anyways.) I won't post any pictures this time because I figure no one really wants to see the baby's thigh bone and the other pictures didn't turn out that great. He did yawn while we were watching him on the screen which was pretty cute. I have definitely started feel him moving around a little, especially at night after dinner when I'm laying down. It's not enough for Randy to feel yet but hopefully within the next few weeks. The baby is measuring about 14 ounces now and is about the size of a cantaloupe, right on track.

We ordered a crib and dresser last weekend so the next step is to start looking at bedding and paint colors. But that will have to wait until after our trip to Grand Cayman! We leave tomorrow and get back next Tuesday night. It's our last hoorah before we either won't have a little one with us or a little one at home to worry about and miss. Should be a lot of fun although definitely different than our previous beach vacations. :)

19 Weeks!

I just received my first batch of maternity clothes in the mail and they are SO comfortable! I don't know why I held out for so long. That belly band got me through for a while but it just became uncomfortable. It's so nice to have some stretchy clothes!

I went in to hear the baby's heartbeat last week but it was a slow day at the doctor so they offered to do a sonogram so I could see him. Of course I didn't pass that up. It was hard to get a good picture of him because he kept moving around but after a lot of pushing on him he finally looked right at us as if it say, "Okay here I am! Now leave me alone!" :) The picture didn't turn out as good as it looked on screen but if you're really good at looking at these things, maybe you can make it out. He is still facing my back for the most part. Sometimes I think maybe I feel him moving him around but I'm not sure if that's him or not so it's nice to get to see him just to know he's still okay in there.

We headed out for round 2 of crib shopping last weekend. I think we've narrowed it down to 2. The first trip was a little overwhelming for both of us but since then I've been reading this book called Baby Bargains. It's the best! It has a section for everything you'll need to buy and then within each section it tells you all the features and options, which ones you need and which ones you don't, all the brands, and then rates them based on safety, quality, and whether they're worth the price. I must say I was disappointed to read that Pottery Barn furniture got a C rating! The C rating was because it's not made of solid wood and because it should be given the price. Surprisingly, they don't have any I like anyways. We're looking for a white crib and most of theirs that I like are dark wood. Not to worry though, they still have good nursery decor and accessories to fill the room. :)

Here is a 19-week belly pic. I've gained 7 pounds so far. I'm okay sharing that right now but don't expect to see that number published once I hit double digits!

IT'S A BOY!!!

56% of you were right...IT'S A BOY!!!

Instead of having the doctor tell us, we decided to have him write it on the sonogram picture so that we could find out once we were alone. (Plus I was scared that I would be so distracted after finding out that I wouldn't hear anything else the doctor told us at the appointment.) Of course, we only waited until they left the room to read the sonogram:


Little foot!



You can't see his head in this picture but you can see his spine along the top. He has he knees tucked under him and is facing my back....he's giving a hug! :)


He's a little hunched over in this picture. You can see his rounded spine that looks like little railroad tracks and you can make out his right ear, right eye, and nose.


I thought I would be the first one to make a purchase after finding out it's a boy but Randy already hit up Target today and bought a few boy toys - a Tonka truck and GI Joe:



Adding yet another boy to both of our families of predominantly boys but we couldn't be more excited! He'll be here just in time for the Superbowl!



Brad (Randy's brother), gave him this helmet a few years ago. It's for display only. When I saw Randy with it I have to admit I got a little worried that he thought we might actually try to put it on the baby. He assures me he knows that won't happen. I'm glad I asked though because I have found that Randy knows very little about babies. Typical of a lot of men I guess but it's pretty comical how little he knows. It will be interesting once we have to start buying things for the baby. Take diapers for example. Randy just found out HEB makes diapers and naturally assumes they're cheaper than Pampers or Huggies so we should buy them. Little does he know how important it is to have a good diaper. Rather than letting him find this out the hard way I'm going to make sure diapers is not an area in which we choose to cut costs.

I'm sure diapers will not be our biggest challenge though because now that we know it's a boy I'm anxious to start looking at furniture and other baby things and get started on the nursery. I'm sure it's pretty common for the women to understand how much things cost and be okay with spending a little more and the men not understanding as much and wanting to spend a little less, but if you know Randy you know he's...hmm...we'll say "cost conscious", so we'll see how this next part goes....


Also, here is a 16 week belly shot.

WEEK 14

Well, I’m now in week 14, the first week of the 2nd trimester! They say this is the best trimester because the nausea and fatigue go away and so far that’s been so true for me. I’ve also gotten my appetite back and can stand to eat salads, veggies, and chicken again. I know there’s a few of you that are disappointed to hear that I am off of my fast food kick now. I’m still keeping Pepperidge Farm in business with the goldfish though. I try to tell myself it’s cheese and they’re made with whole grain, but at the end of the day, it’s still a cracker and I’m going to have to cut back.

The baby is now about the size of a clenched fist. I told Randy this and he asked me, “Whose clenched fist?” Good question, I don’t really know, I assume it’s just the average fist. :)

My doctor’s office (who I love) offered to let me come in between appointments if I ever wanted to hear the baby’s heartbeat, just for reassurance that everything is okay. I think they may regret telling me that because I already took them up on it and went in this week to hear it! All is good! Now just 2 more weeks until we find out whether it’s a boy or girl! I have a feeling it’s a boy, Randy’s in denial that it could be anything but a boy, and my parents think girl so we’ll have to see who’s right...

BABY SMITH!!!

We are super excited to share with our friends and family that we are expecting a baby around January 26, 2010! Wow, 2010! Seems so far away but it's only about 6 more months and I know it will be here before we know it!

Here is a picture from the 12-week sonogram. He or she is quite a mover! Stay tuned for more pictures and news...4 more weeks until we find out the sex! The baby's heartbeat is on the fast side, which some say means a girl, but I also read an old wives' tale that if you crave calories and not sweets and chocolate then it's a boy. Since I've had more of an interest in Chickfila, Whataburger chicken strips, and McDonalds hamburgers and not much interest in cookies or sweets, Randy is choosing to believe that it's a boy. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking on his part...

And, the 12-week belly pic...yes there's only one in there.