Week 22

WOW!  I can't believe how quickly the weeks are going by!  It seems like just yesterday that I was laying on the couch, too nauseous to get up.  Being farther along in pregnancy brings so many new discoveries!!  I've been feeling our baby girl for a few weeks now.  Every day I feel like her kicks and punches are getting stronger.  I feel them best when I'm sitting quietly on the couch, focusing on her movements.  It's such an incredible feeling. 

Last Sunday (April 25), I woke up and wanted to hear her heartbeat using the monitor.  I was lying on my back and pushing the microphone part gently on my stomach.  Our precious little girl KICKED the microphone!  Apparently she didn't like me intruding in her space!  :)  I then put my hand on the same spot and pushed down and she kicked my hand!!  I've been trying for a while to see if she would kick me, but this was the first time!  I woke John up and tried to get him to feel the same thing, but she was done with the kicking.  Sorry Chang.

Another cool thing that happened recently was dealing with baby names.  We have 3 names picked out that we really like.  The middle name will be Marie.  The first names we like are Madison, Ava, and Taylor.  The other morning I was in the shower and prayed about guidance in choosing a name.  I was just seeking direction because of course I want it to be the right name, that God would have us choose.  So standing there I prayed about the name and just asked that God would guide us and all of a sudden the name Taylor popped into my mind.  Many months ago I was at a Christian bookstore.  I was wandering around and decided to look at Baby Name books.  I picked one up and looked up the name Taylor.  (It's always been a favorite name of mine, and I wanted to see what it meant.)  I read the meaning, "Child of Salvation."  While I was praying, that's what came to mind.  It was like "Taylor, child of salvation!"  This was such an amazing experience.  I really want to go back to the store and look at the book again...just to make sure I'm remembering correctly!!  :) 

So that's what's going on.  My belly is growing bigger and bigger!  I feel like I'm growing everywhere else too, but I'm trying not to worry about it.  It's all for our sweet baby girl!  :)

Week 20

So here we are half way through the pregnancy.  Amazing how fast these first few months have gone by.  Our sweet baby girl is doing great!  I'm feeling a few kicks and punches here and there!  Feeling her is such an amazing feeling! 
Jessica let John and I borrow a prenatal heart listener.  The first night we were able to find and listen to her heartbeat!  It was incredible!  We can both have headphones on and hear it at the same time.  The sound of her heartbeat is precious.  Almost everyday since, we've used the listener to hear her heartbeat.  I think it's just our way of hearing and knowing that our baby is okay.  She's so wonderful!! 
This morning, (April 25), I woke up and wanted to listen.  I put the monitor on and pushed down a little to hear better.  Our little girl kicked back at the monitor!!!!  I moved the monitor and put my hand in the same place.  She kicked my hand!!  I woke up John and he tried to feel it, but he didn't.  Soon enough he'll be able to feel her.  The kicks are getting stronger and more consistent everyday!!

18 weeks 5 days Ultrasound!!

What an amazing day yesterday was (April 7)!  Leading up to the ultrasound, I'd heard that I should drink caffeine to get the baby moving so we could find out what we were having.  So I had a coke on the way to the appointment.  (I hadn't had caffeine in 18 weeks!) 
When John and I got to the doctor's office my heart was raising with anxiety!  I was so excited to SEE our baby and hear how everything was developing.  The technician took us back almost immediately, which was a blessing.  We'd already been waiting weeks for this appointment!
The room was dimly lit and there were two screens.  One was a TV screen in front of me and one was the monitor for the technician.  The first question she asked was, "Do you want to know what you're having?"  John and I both said, "YES!" Random fact but the jelly was quite warm that she put on my belly.  I was expecting cold.  Anyways, she got right on with the ultrasound. 
She put the monitor on my belly and immediately we saw the baby.  I didn't know what to expect but it was simply amazing.  I've seen many ultrasound pictures but nothing could have prepared me for the movement of our baby.  The nurse patiently pointed out every part of the baby, as she took pictures and made notes about measurements.  Most everything measured right at 18 weeks 5 days.  The babies abdomen measured 19 week.  The technician was so kind and patient, she kept telling us everything looks very normal.  What a blessing!  She said I have an anterior placenta, which means it's in front of the baby.  So it's my skin, placenta, and uterus.  The doctor said this is good, but I may not feel some of the tiny punches and kicks this soon, because the placenta is between my belly and the baby.  Oh well, as long as it's in a good position. 
As she moved down the baby's body she stopped to take a picture of the baby and said, "I'm going to go with GIRL!"  She said it's a little girl.  A GIRL!  JOHN AND I ARE GOING TO BE PARENTS TO A PRECIOUS BABY GIRL!  Oh my gosh, what a rush this whole experience has been! 
About half way through the ultrasound the technician said, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had caffeine before you came today."  Guilty!  I told her I had heard that it would get the baby moving around.  She said, "Your baby is doing flips and turns in here!"  She was so nice about the whole thing.  I was so embarrassed and blamed it on my sister-in-laws (yes, both Aunts!!)  :)
It was great, the technician saw the chambers of the heart and said again she didn't see anything to be concerned about.  God is good!  The last few minutes of the ultrasound she recorded on DVD so we could take it home and show our families.  You can really see our baby girl flipping, turning, and putting her tiny butt in the air!  What an entertainer she is. 
I did tell our baby "sorry" last night.  I hyped her up too much...poor little thing.  No more caffeine for me!! 
John and I invited our parents over to watch the video and see the ultrasond pictures.  Another great experience to share with the people we love so much.  I'm now almost half way through the pregnancy.  Time is flying by!  Now we need to decide on a name, nursery theme, and start buying cute dresses!  "Not too much pink," John says.  :)

Week 16-18

Here I am at 17 weeks!  Baby is sure growing!!  I've been feeling pretty good lately.  I think I may have felt our baby move a few times!  It's so hard for me to actually believe that the poke, flutter, or bubble feeling "thing" was actually a little kick from Baby! 
Tomorrow we find out what we're having!!  Will it be a precious baby girl or sweet baby boy??  It seems most people think it's going to be a girl.  I'm not sure!! 
Tomorrow will also be our first ultrasound.  So we'll be able to actually see our baby for the first time!!  I cannot imagine how special this moment will be for John and I.  I know first and foremost it will be conformation that everything is going well and Baby is developing perfectly.  And at some point there will probably be a moment where we think..."Oh my gosh, that's OUR baby!!"  I can't wait.  I've been told to drink caffeine, Mountian Dew, or fruit to give the baby a little energy and wake them up! 
As the weeks pass by, we feel more and more blessed with this precious life that will be joining our family very soon.  :)