Soccer player or maybe a Pi Phi?

It has been awhile since I checked in, I was in Arizona for 10 days. We had a great time. The beginning of the week Brianne, Dad, Doris and I spent some days at their new home in Superstitious Mountains. The average temp was 110, but we managed. We drank lots of water and kept indoors most of the time, taking it easy. It was a very relaxing trip and we got to see some amazing landscapes. Baby and I felt fine the entire time. During the trip I feel like I 'popped' - there is no mistaking my pregnancy belly (although most couldn't believe how far along I was).

On Thursday the rest of the family went home and I went to Kierland to the Pi Phi convention. Since Thurs was our only free day before the madness began I met friends, Alison & Jody at the spa. I had a pregnancy message, which was nice. It was weird lying on your side and it wasn't as intense as some other massages I have had in the past. After a nice spa lunch I had a facial, which is when the most incredible thing happened....the baby kicked!! I almost jumped off the table to run and call Chris. I started laughing, it was so cool. Feeling the baby kick is the most amazing, incredible thing. Once he/she started, they haven't stopped. All weekend at the Pi Phi convention the baby would kick, each time I would put my hand there - I love the feeling.

Thursday evening after dinner my Pi Phi regional team threw a surprise baby shower for me!!!!! I was totally surprised, they did such a good job and brought it all from home all the way to AZ. They decorated the room, had angel favors, baked yummy sugar cookies, and my favorite chocolates. Plus they had champagne, wine, and Baileys for the celebration. Everyone was so generous! The theme of the shower was a 'pajama party'; we all had changed into our pjs before what I thought was a team meeting. The gifts were bedtime related: we got this yellow giraffe that is also a blankey that I am sure the baby will love it is so soft from Alison. Jody crocheted a beautiful green & white blanket and got us fleece pads for the bassinet & changing table. Nancy got some adorable feet-in pjs and a Target gc. Allie got the baby some bath time lotion & soap from Crabtree & Evelyn, as well as animal wash clothes. She also got a cute stuffed animal and swaddle blanket for nighttime. Barbara came and gave the baby an adorable lamb that plays 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'. Betsy got us a Miracle Blanket and also has an original bib from Arrowmont that she plans on sending after we have the baby (she has a pink & a blue). We had such a great time and I was so touched!

The convention and overall weekend was wonderful. It was definitely long & tiring, but I kept my feet up when I could. Plus I took some advantage of some breaks and laid down in my room. My friend Anne was there as a visitor and also got the baby some gifts - closet clothes dividers, pacifier holder, teddy bear rattle, and an angel picture frame. I myself couldn't resist and got a bib that says "Daddy's Angel" and a Pi Phi teddy bear from Pi Phi Express. Both will work for a little boy or a future Pi Phi legacy.

Another date?

Today I went to see my ob/gyn for my prenatal appt and all went well. The heartbeat sounds good & strong. You could hear the baby moving around too. I have gained 1 lb since my last visit, I am below average on gaining but the doctor isn't concerned. I go back in three weeks and after that I will schedule my Gestational Diabetes Test and Rhogam shot. While I was there I asked how long past my due date would they let me go, they said one week. After that Dr. R said complications could occur, so they would induce me. At this point she said my due date was October 22. I was surprised, I thought it was the 24th or 27th, she said it has always been on my chart as 10/22/07 and that doesn't change, even if future sonograms make it hard to measure or tell they don't update the date. So I that makes my official due date October 22, 2007

Even though my weight gain has been minimal, I did bust out some maternity clothes. Just for some comfort. But overall I am still wearing non-maternity clothes, some though in a size up.

Flutters

Last night I was lying in bed, waiting for sleep to overcome me when I felt the neatest thing. I had my hand on my belly and just like my mom said (and everyone else) I felt this 'flutter'. It was kinda like a butterfly. It was so cool. I only felt it that one time, I tried shaking the baby up to get him/her to dance some more, but no such luck. The location was exactly where the doctor told me I might feel the baby, so for the first time I am pretty sure this was the baby and not gas. I did try waking Chris up, but he was sound asleep. Hopefully this is just the beginning and there will be lots more flutters and kicks to come soon.

Other then that, not much else is new. I am 21 weeks and feeling pretty good. My back is starting to hurt more and I am having more and more trouble sleeping. I really need to have a pillow propped up behind my back and I still toss & turn every night. Plus the trips to the bathroom have increased greatly. Good thing I can get back to sleep after each one. But baby and I are a trooper and doing well.

Look at me!

Very uncooperative little bugger

Today we had our 20 week ultrasound. Even though we weren't finding out the sex of the baby, I was so excited. I couldn't wait to see our little one again, last time we saw him/her it was just a black blob on the screen, but this time there would be body parts we would recognize. Chris went into work late so that he could come with me. When they finally saw me I laid down and she started. She told me to relax and that I looked nervous. I expected the u/s to be quick, but we were there for almost an hour. At some point I got pretty emotional and started crying. It was pretty silly, but I got all worried and was afraid something was wrong with the baby. The nurse had to leave for a minute and Chris was like 'what is wrong'. I told him my fears and he assured me everything was ok and not to worry. I was just so overcome with emotions at that point but finally relaxed some and Chris started to talk to me about other things.

Meanwhile the nurse came back and resumed her measurements and picture taking. At this point we can't see anything, they don't show you until the end. She kept shaking the wand thing on my tummy. I asked her if that was to make the baby move and she said yes. I then asked is it not moving. And she said oh no, the opposite, it is doing flip flops. LOL - active little one. The baby was being stubborn though, so she was trying to get it to move so she could get what she needed. Every time she thought she had an angle of the heart it would flip flop and then the arm would be in the way. Not sure how long the Level II sonograms usually take, but like I said our little one kept us there for over an hour!

But finally we got to see the baby! And everything looks perfect. We told them we didn't want to know, so they avoided those areas. But we could see the face, the eyes, ears, nose, mouth. The coolest part was seeing the hands & feet to me. I could make out the fingers and toes, it was amazing. The baby is measuring 19weeks 6days - 11 ounces. Afterwards the doctor came in after he reviewed the pictures, he then looked at the u/s itself. He said everything was great, right on track and no problems. Exactly what every mother wants to hear! I was so relieved and happy. I swear during the u/s I could feel the baby reacting and moving around a bit, it was pretty cool.