3D/4D Ultrasounds

Honestly....I think that they creep me out a bit.  The idea of seeing your baby in there all smooshed and floating in there. Especially the pictures of the baby when they are still really young in there and not looking too much like a baby yet.  Now don't get me wrong - I would never begrudge a parent who wanted to get these done, no matter how early or late in their pregnancy they wanted them.  Who isn't dieing to know what the little one looks like?!?! I know that I am, but really didn't think that the 3D/4D thing was for me. The thought of my baby still looking like an alien in there did nothing for me in creating that mother/baby bond.  HOWEVER I WAS COMPLETELY WRONG! At least about seeing the baby later in the pregnancy in 3D/4D. I hadn't been planning on getting any, but at my last appointment at UMUC, the technician flipped the switch when she was taking a picture of the baby's face and OH MY GOODNESS:

This is the cutest baby in the ENTIRE WORLD!! I know, I'm biased but come on people!

Decisions, Decisions...

I FINALLY MADE SOME! YAY ME!

Now, its not really anything serious, BUT, I did get the nursery painted and picked out some bedding! I'm very excited since it was starting to look like we were going to be down to the wire. Still probably will for most things. Well let's start with Lacey's Nursery color that my husband was gracious enough to put on the walls for me, even though he didn't really care for it. He thought it was too light and would get dirty easily...LOL...silly man - I don't know what he thinks a baby Lacey will be getting into in there (at least at first).

I also picked out a Bedding Collection for her crib. Now, I haven't picked a crib yet, but hey, one step at a time. I do know that we are going to go with a white crib or a very light/beachy looking wood - probably white though.  I really liked this bedding that my Mom picked out because it had both fish (those who know us, know that my husband has an obsession with fishing) and flowers! I'm super excited and thing that it will be bright and go nice with the wall color!

It has a cute crib mobile that goes with it: 

So, yes, it is GIRLY and PINK, but I think that the fishies will make the husband happy.

OH, what's in a Name?!?!

Apparently...EVERYTHING! Baby naming is so stressful, you just don't want to pick the wrong one! Plus, EVERYONE has an opinion of what your child's name should be. I appreciate the ideas from people who know my husband and I and give us name ideas that suit our family's personality, or humorous names that they give just to make me smile.  I don't appreciate the people who say if I had/have a girl I would name her...xyz....isn't it beautiful, you should go with that. No thanks...I'm good. 

Also, what people don't really realize about people picking a name for their little one - I don't really want your opinion on what you think of our choice. If I'm on the fence, I will take both names to the hospital and pick then, or if I've already chosen...then that is going to be the baby's name.  I think that some people believe that parents to be just pull baby names out of thin air - WE DON'T. It can take a lot for a mom and dad to both LOVE and AGREE on a name. 

Yes, we have thought of what nicknames our poor daughter could get stuck with - hence even though I love the name, we didn't name her Virginia. We have thought about the potential for her to be confused with a stripper or hooker, hence we didn't name her Bambi, or Destiny, or Roxy. We thought to make sure her initials didn't spell anything crazy. The point is, I believe most parents to be put ALOT of thought into the name they give their baby.  

Bubba and I went through the ENTIRE baby name book! I made a list, he made a list, we compared lists. Once done there were only TWO, that is right TWO names out of the 20 or 30 we both listed that matched. Charlotte and Lacey. That's it folks. Sooo....finally what you have been waiting for....Our baby will be named:

Lacey Mae

And....It's a....

GIRL!

I know its been a while, but I've been super tired and quite frankly, thinking makes my head hurt and  my belly growl.  I just got moving though and have had breakfast so I thought I would catch up.

Well, to start off, we found out we were having a girl when we went up to UMBC in Baltimore to see their Fetal Medicine Specialists. Sounds scary right?!?! Well...it was.  We had to go way the heck up there because of the stupid Quad Test that they give you. The Quad test checks for various chromosomal disorders that may affect your baby, primarily Downs Syndrome. Of course mine came back with an elevated risk level (this is just how this pregnancy has been rolling so far, so I didn't expect anything different). Our odds are 1:139. Apparently they are supposed to be much lower. Either way, we had to go to the specialists for our fancy pants ultrasound/anatomy scan to check the baby out and see if there were any other soft markers that they could see for Downs.   Luckily, I had my own entourage traveling with me, so we had a good time while we waited, annoying all the other parents waiting - I'm sure. But when we finally got in there the Tech was very nice and explained everything she saw and more importantly....What she did NOT see! There were no soft markers and no wiener! She looked perfectly healthy!

I go back in a month to check on her again.  Hopefully, everything will still be fine and we won't need to do any further testing because that involves a long needle straight through the tummy. No thank-you. Although, any other testing we would do would just be so that we could prepare.  We figure that we are more prepared than most to handle whatever comes our way and that if someone has to be the 1 in however many, it may as well be us. So far, so good though :0)

A thing to note about the soft markers and the Quad Screen. With pregnancy you never know what is going to happen in there. Even if the Quad Screen came back completely normal and no soft markers your baby still may be born with Downs Syndrome. Likewise, even if you have a 1:10 chance and they see soft markers your baby could be born completely normal.

Whew! I finally gained a pound!

I know that most women would be excited to only have gained one pound in the first 4 months, but my dietician is a weight nazi and is obsessed with pregnant people getting fat.

I had to work really hard for that pound, too. I was miserable all last week with a cold thanks to the lovely cube farm where I work. By the way - F*** Tylenol! Since that is the only thing you can really take while pregnant and miserable...it doesn't really help. I now know why the makers of NyQuil use alcohol in their medicine - because apparently liquor is what cures cold, or at least makes you feel better.

Either way, I'm feeling better, the blood sugar is mostly under control and a put on a pound. Now maybe one day I can get me one of those baby bumps!

13 Weeks and Sleepy

I'm soooo sleepy! This kid is apparently having a growth spurt this week and my energy levels are way down. Everything seems to be moving right along though.

 My couple of days of testing my Blood Sugar weren't too terrible. Remembering to eat every 3 hours whether your hungry or not is a challenge. I'm getting it going though. I do enjoy my bed time snack that I am absolutely not allowed to skip - Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding Snack - YUM!

Bad Goldfish!

So far...I just look chubbier, I have to pee all the time, get puky when I'm hungry, developed a heart murmur, and now I can't enjoy the only time in your life when you aren't supposed to have to watch what you eat.  Yay for Gestational Diabetes!

The chubbiness will eventually turn into a baby bump...we hope. And hopefully, I don't have to wait until I am 8 months pregnant.

The heart murmur I don't think is very worrisome by the casual tone my Dr. let me know I have one.  He was just doing the normal stuff and said "Oh, and I see you have a heart murmur". Followed by me, "Um...I don't think so." Him, "Huh...so no one's ever told you that....well, I guess its a gift from the baby". That's it. Nothing else...I guess I won't worry then.

Now, yesterday I found out about the GD...that is a real bummer! I see the nutritionist on Thursday so that she can tell me what I can't eat. I have to pick up one of those finger pricky thingies...and I get to stab myself in the finger 4 times a day - great...especially since I'm terrified of needles - even the little ones. 

On the bright side - one day this little goldfish will turn into a real boy (or girl) and vacuum my floors!

12 Weeks Yesterday!

Woohoo! Very exciting business. Now, thanks to my family, I don't really have that many people left to tell, but that's ok. I'm just glad that the worst bit is done and now its just whatever will happen will happen. Next week, when we get to enter the 2nd trimester, hopefully I will have the energy to clean my house. That is VERY exciting. Also, today, I decided to be brave and post my belly pictures (removed them for editing). No, they are not artistic and, no, I'm not naked or shaded or in black and white. Currently, I just look chubbier than normal even though I have managed to keep my weight gain down to 0 lbs! It is ok though, the important people know that its not just fat :0) One day though, I too will get that super cute baby *bump*. On the bright side though, I can still sleep easily!

First Crazy Baby Purchase

Up until  now, I have managed to keep my baby buying craziness under control. Today, however, I couldn't control it a second longer. My first purchase: 



The Land of Nod Basinet. I couldn't live without it. It definately cost too much, but I don't care! I LOVE IT! Now, even though it was super pricey, it does come with everything you need and that is what I will continue to tell my husband :0)

Baby Baking

Man is it hard work. We are 11 weeks and 5 days along and I'm finally feeling comfortable enough to believe that there is really a baby growing in there. We are so excited to finally be getting our chance at being parents. Well, as far as I can tell, I'm excited! The husband is a little harder to get a handle on. I guess it will become more real for him when I start to grow round and he can feel the baby through my skin.  Either way, baby making at this stage is exhausting! I haven't been too puky, mostly it just sneaks up on me, but I have been extra sleepy. I can't wait for this phase to pass, I would like to clean my house some day.