The major ultrasound! All is revealed!!!!

Finally we reach the moment of truth.  On Thursday Amanda went for her major ultrasound.  She is now 21 weeks along.  At this point, the doctors want to inspect the baby with the sonogram camera to make sure it is healthy and well developed.  They also check to see if the baby is a boy or a girl.

The good news is our baby appears completely healthy.  The ultrasound technician inspected all the vital organs and body systems of the baby.  She also looked at the baby's size and weight.  Our little bugger is weighing in at 1 pound now!  The heartbeat is within normal range, as is the baby's size.

So is it a boy or a girl?

Hold your horses!

Amanda is trucking along and is feeling pretty good.  She has some body aches from all the stretching and expanding, but nothing too bad.  The baby is starting to flutter about and kick.  I even felt a kick on Amanda's tummy this afternoon!  My first kick!

That's great, but is it a boy or a girl???

Good things come to those who wait.

Amanda and I went to Babies 'R Us on Saturday and went berserk.  We spent 3 1/2 hours in there gathering items for our baby registry.  The staff members were amazing.  They spent so much one-on-one time with us and answered so many questions.  We are totally stoked about all the baby gear we are hoping to get.  We've already picked out a crib, a stroller, a high chair, a car seat and a bunch of other accessories.  Crikey, babies are expensive!

To view our baby registry, find us at Babies 'R Us.

So you still want to know if we're having a son or a daughter?  Watch the video and see!

18 weeks and counting

It's been a while since my last post.  It seems that early in the pregnancy there was constant exciting updates.  Under Dr. Mooney's care we were getting sonograms every two weeks.  Since moving into the second trimester, the major updates occur much less frequently.

We are now in our 18th week, and I can tell you that things are moving along well.  We graduated from Dr. Mooney.  He was our reproductive gynecologist whose main focus was getting us pregnant.  Dr. Mooney saw us through the first trimester.  We are now under the care of a team of doctors and nurse practitioners at Atrium OB/GYN in Canton.  They are doing a wonderful job.  They are very kind and very thorough.  They spend lots of time with us and never make us feel rushed.  We haven't conducted an orientation yet, but we are fairly certain that we will deliver the baby at Aultman Hospital in Canton.

Mandy has had health screenings for herself and the baby, and both the mum and the bub seem to be in excellent health.  All genetic screenings indicate that the baby is healthy.  It is growing at a good rate, and its heartbeat is normal.  Mandy's insulin levels are good.  The nausea has been gone for a few weeks now.  (Thank God!)  Now Mandy complains of back and hip pain, leg numbness and difficulty sleeping.  Oh, the joys of pregnancy.  She has been assured that these symptoms are common and they are only going to get worse as the baby gets bigger.  Joy.  All complaining aside, the pregnancy is going well, and there have been no complications to be concerned about.  We are very blessed.

Just this week I began to notice Mandy's belly pop!  There is a definite bulge happening there.  Mandy is even noticing some fluttering in her tummy.  She is confident that she is starting to feel the baby kicking.

So is it a boy or a girl??????

We don't know yet.  The baby is just getting to the age where an ultrasound can detect the baby's sex.  Our ultrasound appointment is scheduled for October 25.  Let's hope the baby cooperates and poses proudly for the camera with its legs wide open.  :-)  We will let you know what we are having as soon as we know.  Stay tuned!