Nineteen Weeks and Gender Reveal

Well, here we are!

Nineteen weeks and three days along with approximately 144 days left to go! I can't believe how quickly time is flying by! The next thing we know, Munchkin will be here with us! 

As many of you already know, today was the "BIG" day! That's right, the day that we find out what Baby Felda's gender is. The mix up with last week had me extremely bummed out about not finding out sooner, but I must say, time flew by and before I knew it I was laying in the doctor's office with ultrasound goo on my belly. 

Now I know many of you are anxious to know what Munchkin is going to be and I will get to that here in a minute; right now I want to talk about our decisions on changing how we are going to reveal the gender. I had initially wanted to wait until our trip home at the end of August, but when I told my mom this she made it very clear that she would much rather I tell her over the phone the moment we found out. So, Brian and I decided to call our parents and tell them immediately following the appointment and then take photos to announce it to everyone else. The photos are finished (again I will get to that in a minute) and I am working on announcements to send out to family and close friends; the photos will also be posted on all of my networking websites for the rest of the world to see. 

Believe me when I say it has been killing me not being able to announce it to the world! The second I heard what our baby was, I wanted to SCREAM IT! 

So, since you all have waited ever so patiently, I will tell you what happened. 

Walking into the room, the ultrasound technician asked us if we had found out the gender yet and when I said "no" I knew then that she was indeed going to make finding out happen for us. I lay there in anticipation on that bed, ultrasound gel warming my belly (thank goodness my doctor's office uses warmed gel!), and Brian standing at my side. We both had our eyes glued to that little screen! She showed us the profile, the spine, the arms and legs, the heartbeat...and finally, after what felt like forever, she paused and looked over at us. I asked her, "What do you see?" And she looks at me and then at Brian and says, "It's a girl!". I looked over at Brian and screamed, "HAAAA!" and Brian laughed and turned red in the face. We were both convinced she was indeed going to be a he! My mom was even convinced she was a boy! After taking my hand, Brian looked at the technician and asked, "About how sure are you?" She laughed and said, "Ooh, about 98% sure.". It was a very exciting moment for us! 

So, here she is! Our beautiful baby GIRL! 

It's a Girl! 

I know that we had initially decided to wait to announce her gender, but in the end, I am very glad that we decided to tell everyone. I know some of you were probably pretty annoyed with the "we will announce", "we won't announce", and "oh now we are announcing" business but that is ok. 

Also, I want to say that finding out our baby's gender has been one of the most exciting things to experience and share with Brian. We had a special moment right there in that little room, staring at our baby girl. I am sure if we would have waited until her birth, that moment would have gone by too quickly for us to even enjoy it; there is said to be so much chaos going on once the baby is delivered that you don't have but more than a second to share with your spouse the fact that you just found out what your baby is. Finding out was like receiving the best Christmas and birthday presents combined with getting married and finding out we were pregnant all over again; it was just one of the best moments I can ever imagine. I can't fully describe it, but it is definitely going down in the books as one of the best days of my life. 

So, how are we announcing it, you ask?

Well, here are the photos that Brian and I took this afternoon, thanks to my good friend, Magan! These photos would not have been possible to take today without her help. :) She knows why. 

All of these photos were taken by Brian and I; which was very difficult by the way! And they will be on our announcements that we send out in the mail. I can't wait to see them in person! I will definitely have to let everyone catch a glimpse of those as well! 

Now that our baby's gender has been determined, I would like to talk about pregnancy as of this week. :) The ultrasound technician wants me to go back for another ultrasound in six weeks to check on the position of my placenta; I guess it isn't quite where it needs to be as of right now. She said it isn't abnormal, just something that they need to watch. Well I guess I am alright with that as long as I get to see my little one and she is healthy. Other than that, there were no other concerns! 

My only concern is trying to get my left ear not feeling as if it were plugged up! My allergies are a billion times worse than they have ever been and I just can't seem to hear out of it. I am pretty sure it isn't infected because it doesn't hurt, it just feels plugged up with fluid. But other than that and the sciatic nerve pain, I feel pretty fantastic! 

How far along? 19 weeks, 3 days.

Total weight gain: 5+ pounds; I asked the nurse not to tell me how much weight I had gained in a month since I have been feeling extra glum about the way my body is looking these days. 

Maternity clothes?  Wearing maternity pants and shirts, but still occasionally rocking out some pre-pregnancy t-shirts. 

Stretch marks? Yes. 

Sleep: Sleep is 50/50, some nights are better than others.

Best moment of this week? Finding out the sex of our baby and being able to experience it with Brian. 

Miss anything? Missing my family and friends from home.

Movement: Her movements are starting to become more noticeable on a daily basis.

Food cravings? Chicken Salad sandwiches and Pizza. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nothing as of right now!

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: No.

Symptoms: My allergies are worse, occasional heartburn, sciatic nerve pain, itchy belly, and fingers and feet are still a little swollen.

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? I can still wear my wedding set, but it is starting to become difficult to take off. 

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy, happy, happy!!

Looking forward to: Getting more of the nursery put together and going home at the end of August.