Baby Number 2 is...

Today was our long-awaited ultrasound! I've been waiting for this day for a loooooong time. 

It was in the afternoon, which made me antsy and anxious all day long. But we made it!

We brought Savannah with us, who had no idea what was going on, and just kept saying "oh cool!" to everything the doctor pointed out. After a while, she began to get worried about me, and she came over and held my hand. It was so sweet of her.

Then, the big announcement came:

Baby number 2 is a.....

(profile)

BOY!!!

We are SO excited! I would have been perfectly happy with either. I wanted a girl because my sister and I are 11 years apart and I always wished I had a sister while growing up, but I also wanted a boy because I want the experience of raising a boy plus their personalities are so different from girls. I just think it will be so fun to have the opportunity to raise both a boy and a girl!

 (eyes, lips and nose)

I'm also excited because I love buying Savannah clothes, and I'm excited to explore the world of little boy clothes. I have been itching all day to do some shopping! The nice thing is, I bought a lot of the big stuff that you need for a baby in gender neutral colors, so they will work for a boy too, so all I really need are clothes! 

And I have spent way too much time today on pinterest looking for nursery ideas. I actually want to re-do both Savannah's and the baby's room, so I have been having way too much fun browsing for ideas!

 (view of the head and face from a top-angle)

(Spine)

I had a really strong feeling this baby would be a boy. I first had my suspicions with how different this pregnancy has been. I have been so sick, and my body is so tired all the time. Much more so than when I was pregnant with Savy. But I also had this feeling that it was a boy. Anytime I pictured Savannah meeting the baby for the first time, I would picture him as a boy. I don't know, maybe it was a weird maternal instinct thing?

(arm, with the hand and fingers on the right)

Anyways, the ultrasound looked really good. Everything is where it should be, and growing right on track! The doctor said he was measuring about the 39th percentile, so he will be like Savannah was when she was born, but his measurements put him within a day or 2 of his due date, so he is perfect! He's breech right now (which I already knew because this kid kicks me in the bladder all day long...) but he said not to worry because we still have a long way to go, and most babies turn themselves the last month. (Savannah was in position for months. And she dropped about a month before she was born. She was just as ready to be born as I was wanting her to be!)

 (this one is self-explanatory...)

The hardest thing to do now will be to decide a name. I'm super picky with names, especially boys names. I want all my kids to have unique names, without them being "weird". At least I have 19 more weeks to figure one out! So if anyone has a suggestion, feel free to let me know!

(foot. It's really fuzzy in the picture, you can see it better on the DVD)

In other pregnancy news, I finally packed on a few pounds. 3 to be exact! I still think it's weird that in 21 weeks of pregnancy, I've only gained a total of 4 pounds, yet my stomach is HUGE! Granted, I'm only 3 pounds away from what I weighed when I was 39 weeks pregnant last time. Which I'm a bit ashamed to admit... Also, I have to do my glucose test next month. Yuck. If anything makes you never want to drink a sugary drink again, it's the glucose test...

My sciatic nerve has actually been feeling a bit better, but my lower back and hips always hurt. I've been doing yoga, and making Bryant give me a massage every single night, and that seems to help.

I'm still having super weird dreams. But thankfully, no nightmares, like I would get while pregnant with Savy. Most of the time, they are actually really awesome, and I'm sad when they end.

I'm also craving the most unhealthy food. For a while, I craved salads and melons. But lately, I've been craving anything fried. Grilled cheese sandwiches, corn dogs, onion rings, you name it! JCW's and I have become close friends these past few weeks. And the old pregnancy classic, ice cream. In fact, I made Bryant go out just to buy me ice cream this afternoon (he brought back doughnuts too. He knows me too well...) He's been such a good sport lately. He's really picked up the slack I've created in housework, and he deals with my hormone-induced mood swings like a champ. I love that boy.

I just can't stop looking at the ultrasound pictures. I'm so excited! 19 weeks and counting until we meet our little boy!

Life around here, and a baby update!

Life has been moving pretty fast lately. I just realized that the month of November is almost over! When did that happen? Anyways, here are just a few photos from the last few weeks. 

 

We finally moved upstairs, and Cowgirl Savy loves our new kitchen!

 

We went and played at her grandma and grandpas new house before it snowed.

 

All 3 of us grabbed some pizza before going to see Wreck-It Ralph

 

Out to lunch with my favorite girl!

 

It snowed a lot. Savannah thinks snow is pretty awesome. 

The snow has since melted.

 

We went to the lighting of the Riverwoods, where we got rained on, but still had a lot of fun!

 

And we went to our first doctor's appointment a couple of weeks ago! The baby is doing great, they were really impressed with how well my last pregnancy was, and were even more impressed that the labor and delivery went so easily with the first baby, and they said that I will most likely have just as easy a delivery this time (knock on wood!). The baby measured a week smaller (like Savannah did out our first appointment) so they pushed our due date to June 1st. (however, even though we pushed Savannah's due date back a week too, she still arrived on her original due date. A week is not that big a deal haha!)

After the ultrasound, I went and had my blood work done. A few days later, they called to say my blood work all came back great with no problems. Even my iron levels were normal! Which is great seeing as I've had issues with anemia in the past.

They did, however, say that I tested positive for group B strep again. Last time I tested positive, they said that even if I never tested positive again, they would still always give me antibiotics during labor for all of my kids. This time, I tested a little higher than normal, so they started me on an antibiotic regiment to get the levels back down. We will test again at my next appointment and regulate it throughout the pregnancy. It's not really a big deal, so I'm not too worried. I only had to have antibiotics with Savannah 4 hours before she was born, which is what they will probably do again this time too. I think they are just playing it ultra-safe seeing as my water broke before I had the antibiotics last time. 

I was also given a prescription to help with this morning sickness! HALLELUJAH! At first, it didn't completely get rid of it, it only helped lessen it. But over the last week or so, I've been feeling back to normal. Every now and then, I will feel a little sick, mostly if I haven't eaten or if I'm driving, but it's really made a whole world of difference! Hopefully in the next week or 2 I'll be able to be completely off the medication and back to normal. I'm also looking foreword to getting my energy back, at least some of it. I can tell I'm already feeling better. I can get through the day without a nap, but I'm still in bed by 9:30 or 10:30, when I used to go to bed around midnight. Oh well, If I get the chance to go to bed early, I'll take it!

So there it is! Our next appointment is in about 2 weeks. This pregnancy is going by so much faster than the first! I can't wait to have 2 little kiddos to love and cuddle all day! I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be a mother!

Happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone!

Baby Stokes Is A.....

Today was our long awaited ultrasound!
I was so excited that I was going crazy all morning!
I even woke up early when I didn't need too!

So we show up at the doctors and they usher us in a really nice room with a GIANT TV in there, ready to go. The doctor walks in and the first thing he says is "before I even turn the machine on, just tell me, do you want to find out? I don't want to spill the beans if you don't"

Of course we do!

So we got down to business.

Everything looked amazing and perfectly healthy with our little bundle of joy. He measured the head, belly and leg and the computer said the baby was growing right on track.


(baby Stoke's Arm and hand)

The brain looked great and was developing perfectly, all 4 chambers of the heart were intact with no holes and pumping at a perfect pace! And the spine was fully formed and stationary.
(The spine, bum and leg!)

The feet were adorable and baby was kicking like crazy! I think I have a soccer player on my hands...

(The legs and a foot! The baby was kicking and it looked like it was running in place!)

The only thing we didn't get to see was a profile because the baby's head was low by my right hip and facing my spine, the doctor tried pushing my stomach to try to get it to roll over and it just wouldn't budge! Bryant said that it was definitely his kid if it was already being a stinker :-)

I was ok with it though because they said they will do another quick ultrasound next time so we can get a good profile shot and check for a cleft pallet.

They recorded the whole thing for us on a DVD, which was really fun to come home and show my parents. I wish I was going to Mt. Shasta for Thanksgiving to show my in-laws too!

Finally, after everything was checked and OK'ed, we were able to find out what it is!

Baby Stokes is a....

(drum roll please)

GIRL!!!

I am SO EXCITED to have a baby girl!!!
And I've decided that it is perfect because:

1. The last few babies on my dads side have been boys
2. My cousin on my mom's side is having a boy just before I'm due,
3. My Great-Grandma told my mom she made 2 girl blankets because there are too many boys in the family
4. My little sister probably would have thrown a fit if it was a boy
5. My niece Jayden will have a girl cousin to play with!
And
6. My heavenly father has decided to bless Bryant and I with this baby Girl

Bryant is so excited too. During the entire ultrasound he was grinning from ear to ear and I could hear him whisper "wow" over and over again.
Man-o-man do I love him.

I am dying to start planning a nursery and buying cute girl cloths and all sorts of stuff!
And of course, picking out the perfect name. I already have a couple in mind, but it's going to be a lot of fun coming up with more!

I am so incredibly grateful to become a mother of a wonderful Daughter. I'm already so completely in love with her!

Also, just a side note, this is my 100th post!!!
Woooohooooooo! (I specifically waited until I knew what the baby would be, just for this momentous occasion! My goal for the next 12 months: 200 more posts!)

I'm already completely in love...

I had my first OBGYN appointment today!
I decided to go with the doctors who delivered my little sister because they are actually a team of 5 doctors and you meet with all of them, so no matter what, there is no chance of your doctor being out of town when you go into labor (when my mom had me, the doctor was in California seeing the Pope, he had to rush back!)

I was really grateful that Bryant was able to take a couple hours off work to come with me. I get so nervous about needles and all the poking and prodding that goes along with all doc appointments. I was super calm with Bryant there, I wasn't nervous at all.

Unfortunately, they couldn't do any of the normal tests (blood, pap, that kind of stuff) because they don't accept baby your baby (the state insurance I'm on right now) even after I had called and made sure they did. They just said they would do it all next time.

I DID however, get to have an ultrasound. That really surprised me cause I didn't think they would do one on my first appointment.


When the doctor first found it, it sat there for a second and then suddenly jumped! It kind of looked like it was doing the worm. It was so funny and I was laughing so hard that the screen was bouncing all over the place.

It was right there and then that my whole heart fell in love with this baby. At that moment I realized that all of this is real and that I was becoming a mother. I suddenly was willing to do anything and everything for this baby. I want to make sure that I am doing everything possible to keep this baby healthy, safe and strong.

I'm pretty sure it already knows how much I love him/her because I always prayed to my Heavenly Father that he would let my future children know how much I already loved them and how badly I wanted them to be here on earth with me.

The doctor measured the baby and said that he was pushing my due date to April 1st (April fools day, how did we pull that one off? hahaha!). He said that my cycle was probably off a few days and thats why it's only the size of and 11 week old instead of 12. So I am 11 weeks and 5 days along. Thursday will be when I am actually 12 weeks along instead of last Thursday. Make sense?

They also gave me a handful of pregnancy magazines, prenatal vitamin samples, and a prescription for something to help my morning sickness (hallelujah!)

I was actually thinking the morning sickness was getting better because I hadn't tossed my cookies in about a week (nausea was still bad though) until today when I lost breakfast in the parking lot at school in front of everybody that was getting off the shuttle. Gross, not to mention embarrassing.

I think being able to see my baby pull out the dance moves definitely ranks in my top 5 best moments ever list.