Drumroll please...

My intuition was right! IT'S A GIRL!!!

We got our favorite ultrasound tech for the appointment and everything looks great. The lady was so nice and very thorough with descriptions. She said we have a perfect baby girl. Our baby weighs 13 oz and the heart rate was 162. Everything measures right on with our original due date.

Here are the ultrasound pictures:



That's a good, strong runner's leg right there.


Lungs/ribs.


Hi mom and dad! A clear hand up by her head.


Two tootsies - one from the side and one footprint.


And here's the tell-tale FEMALE shot. The ultrasound tech said our baby girl wasn't being shy at all - just right out there with "these are my lady parts!" - so we are certain she's a girl. It's hard to understand this picture. The tech said it's the thighs and the dip in the middle on the right where you see 3 dots are the defining GIRL sign. Our baby had her legs bent mostly so I'm assuming they're bent and that there's a foot on the lower left of the shot? Sometimes, depending on the angle, you can see all the connections so it looks like the legs just stop.


So yeah! We are in for a whole new adventure and can't wait to meet our baby girl.

20 Weeks!

Wow! Tomorrow marks the midpoint of this pregnancy. I know I've said this repeatedly, but I just can't believe how fast it's going!

At 20 weeks, our little one should weigh about 10.5 oz and also measure approximately 6.5" from head to bottom or 10" from head to heel. For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against its torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of the head to the bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, it's measured from head to toe.

I just love to sit and feel the baby move around. I've even had one of those bigger movements when the baby must be majorly shifting positions. My belly gets really hard in certain spots and I can feel what must be certain body parts sticking out like the head or foot. So cool. When he or she gets a little bigger, it will be able to morph my whole stomach into odd shapes when it shifts positions. And that is really entertaining!

Being pregnant is such an awesome experience. The wonders of the human body are indescribable and you develop such a huge respect for what is simply a natural process. Pregnancy & birth have occured for millions of years to billions of women. And yet, when it happens to YOU, it's a completely unique and magical experience. It's hard to believe it happens every day. Personally, I love being a woman and getting to do this. Craig says he doesn't think he could handle it - like the idea of something growing inside him would freak him out. But I think it's awesome. And I love the birthing part too! I would do it 10 times if it wouldn't be ridiculous to have 10 children. But let's face it... that WOULD be ridiculous.

Anyway, here are some belly updates at 20 weeks.

First here's 18 weeks for comparison. I think I was exhaling in this one because it looks like it's sticking out more up high, which is unrealistic.



And here's 20 weeks. Not a huge change even though it FEELS like it.



Also, at this point, the frontal shots start to get interesting. So here's from the front (no sign of the linea nigra yet - that dark line that shows up from the belly button on down).



Total weight gain as of 20 weeks: 9# 11oz
I always weigh in at work for consistency since we have a really nice scale that's calibrated regularly. (That's how I know the ounces when I report it.)

Also, tomorrow's the BIG day where we get to see our little one again via ultrasound and *hopefully* find out if Will's new playmate will be a boy or a girl. Any guesses? I'm still saying girl - that's my gut feeling - and Craig now thinks so too. But we've had a few guesses on either side from friends and family. We shall see! Stay tuned...

Greetings & Happy Turkey Day from Arizona!

Craig, Will & I spent Thanksgiving weekend (Thursday - Sunday) visiting my Grandpa and his wife in Scottsdale, Arizona. We had been trying to organize this trip for several years and I'm grateful that it worked out when it did, since traveling with two kids will be considerably more challenging. The airports were surprisingly quiet on Thanksgiving Day but very busy on Sunday with everyone returning from the holiday weekend. Our visit was very enjoyable, though the travel days were quite exhausting. Will unfortunately started showing some cold symptoms just before we left, which escalated into an almost constant cough/sneeze/runny nose for most of our trip. He was still a trooper despite being terribly off his schedule and lacking sleep. But after a low grade fever on Saturday, I decided to check his mouth to see if that ornery 4th cuspid tooth had broken through... and sure enough, it had. So that was a relief to know the root of his symptoms. He was a crying, whining mess on the flight over but thankfully slept quite a bit on the flight home. This week we're just going to be very good about bedtime and hopefully get him (and us!) back on track quickly.


The weather was a little cooler for this time of year (upper 60's - low 70's) but still a very welcome change from our midwest weather. The skies were beautifully blue every day with lots of sun. We were so kindly welcomed and made very comfortable for our stay and the food was delicious! We had a full course Thanksgiving dinner upon our arrival and Will loved the turkey. Lorraine and I swapped cooking tips and recipes quite a bit. (For example, I have GOT to start making my own salad dressing more often! It's so simple and so much better than bottled dressing.) And Grandpa got to spend some one on one time with Craig, so they got to know each other a little better. We also visited with my Uncle David and his two beautiful kids.


Here are a bunch of pictures of our trip:


This is on the flight over. (I should have turned the flash off.) We actually planned to have Will in our laps since he's under 2, but got so lucky on BOTH flights to have an extra seat unclaimed to allow us some extra space. I can't imagine what it would have been like without that - Will was climbing all over the place!



Grandpa & Lorraine live in a housing development that surrounds a man-made lake. So all the residents have little boats that they take around through the "neighborhood". They even dress up the boats with lights for the holidays and have a contest of best decorated boat.

Here's a view of their house from the water:



Here's a view inside the house, looking down on the living/dining room from the open upstairs balcony. The kitchen's in the bottom right corner.



And here's our guest room:



This is our first morning in Arizona - Craig reading Will a story.




Will got such a kick out of playing hide-and-seek/ peek-a-boo with Grandpa and Lorraine, running in and out of their laundry room and beside a foyer table.






After breakfast, Grandpa took us out on a boat ride tour. Will got to help Grandpa man the ship.

An Ohio State fan in Arizona!

We paused so Will could check out the ducks. Grandpa brought along some bread for us to feed them.

Later we took a scenic drive around Arizona and got to see some pretty neat views and elevations. It would be especially cool to check out some of the hiking trails there. Maybe another time... when we don't have a toddler along... and I'm not pregnant... and I have more than just a pair of wedge heel shoes packed. LOL

I just LOVE this picture. Craig was carrying Will over to a photo-op with a cactus and Will was making such a Craig-face: irritated and determined at the same time. I feel like I'm looking at the front and back of Craig - they look so much alike (minus the hair color, of course).

So here's a couple pictures of Will's first experience with a cactus. This one is just his size!

On Saturday morning, Grandpa and Craig got up early to take a ride in Grandpa's airplane to a town called Payson for breakfast. Grandpa is a pilot and Craig got a birdseye view of Scottsdale and the surrounding towns.

Will & I hung back and checked out the back yard with the lemon tree and swing and watching the boats.

Later that day, we met up with David and the kids and went to the Phoenix Zoo. Will was very clingy, wanting to be held instead of pushed in a stroller. We obliged him since he wasn't feeling well.

This was hysterical! Two lions lounging in a rather revealing position...

Flamingos and a Squirrel Monkey. We were able to walk right into the monkeys' habitat for some close up viewing!

David and his daughter Anna retrieve their Geocache (sp?) box inside the zoo. Sort of like a treasure hunt, they get information online with latitude and longitude marks, and then use a GPS to find a small container that people interchange little trinket prizes. Then you log your find back online and the next person is able to find whatever trinket you leave. Pretty cool, I think!

Finally, on the flight home, Will fell asleep. Mostly he slept on me, but towards the end I had to use the restroom so Craig took him and he stayed asleep.