Monday, March 26, 2012

20 Weeks!

Theoretically today marks our half-way point in this pregnancy! It's a little bizarre to think that we're here already. We still have a lot to accomplish in the next 20(ish) weeks, but I'm happy to report that things are starting to take shape.

I cannot tell you how grateful I am that Jeremy is already nesting. He has been super motivated and tackling all of our house projects over the last week. The thing I love most is how excited he is! He's genuinely enthusiastic about doing things like installing new shower heads and picking out paint. I for one am keeping my fingers crossed that it stays this way! I am a lucky girl.

This weekend we selected our wall color and Jeremy is already done painting! Choosing a color was tricky. Especially since we haven't picked out our bedding. We love it, and I'm certain we'll find plenty of bedding/fabric to complete our vision for Lily's room.

The color we chose is a very light blue (with a hint of green). It will go really nice with the white board and batten that we hope to start next weekend.  Jeremy really liked the idea of doing blue, even for a little girl, and I'm glad he stuck to his guns. Just don't tell him he was right, it goes straight to his head!
















As some of you may know, I'm a bit obsessed with Pinterest lately. My addiction as proved very useful these last few weeks in collecting inspiration for Lily's nursery. This vase gives the perfect inspiration for the color scheme the room will be based on:

 (source: Anthropologie)

Add to that some tans, sage greens, and maybe a yellow or two - and you'll start to get the idea. We're very excited to see it all come together. Although we may have a lot of work ahead of us, I think our plan is really starting to take shape. We look forward to bringing it to you as we go!

Here I am, 20 Weeks:
Happy half way point, Miss Lily Jo!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

It's A....

Yes, as you may have seen on Facebook, we are expecting a little baby girl!

Our appointment went very well. She is growing right on time, all of her measurements were excellent. We were able to see tiny baby fingers, toes, and even all four chambers of her little heart. The technician even surprised us and did a few images in 3D! We did not expect that part, and while she's tiny and doesn't have a lot of meat on her bones just yet, it was amazing. To actually get to see a bit of structure in her face - WOW!

Jeremy, being the amazing husband that he is, whisked me straight to the outlet mall and let me pick out her first outfit. It was a bit overwhelming to try and only pick one, so instead of fancy dresses or anything ornate, I went for a cute onesie and little matching pants.

As if the day didn't hold enough excitement - there's more!

I've made it a habit to lay in bed at night and try to have a few quiet minutes and wait for our baby to move. One quite a few occasions Jeremy has tried to patiently lay there, with his hand on my tummy, waiting for little kicks. After yesterdays festivities she was apparently all amped up, squirming and kicking away. Some of them have been so strong that it would startle me and makes me jump! I was on the phone with my good friend Jessica, calling from Hawaii to check on us (our babe is so lucky to have such great aunts and uncles!), while she was just squirming away. Well, Jeremy's patient hand happened to be on point when she let out a particularly strong kick. I jumped and said, "Did you feel that?!" and HE DID! He said it was subtle, but he definitely felt her. It was a special moment and something I'm happy to get to share with him. Thanks for being 'there' to witness it, Jess!

We also believe that we have finally settled on our baby girls name. We knew we liked it, but weren't positive just yet. Once we knew for certain our little peanut was a girl, it just fell into place - like all the best things do. It feels right to us both, and if you've heard tell of our baby name discussions, you'll know that was no easy feat! More on how we landed on her name later.

(Warning - not everyone likes a 3D ultrasound photo, so if you don't want to peek, careful!)

We'd like you to meet, our precious little miracle of a girl, Lillian Josephine.
We may have caught her sucking her thumb! What do you think?

Monday, March 19, 2012

19 Weeks

Our babe is about 6 inches long (head to rump) and weighs approx. 8.5oz. A half pound! Or, about the size of a mango. His/Her (last week we'll say that!) legs and arms are now proportionate. This week, he/she is also working to form the waxy protective coating (vernix) to protect its skin and prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Today is a big day - our big anatomy scan! This evening we will know if we are growing a baby girl or a baby boy. We've been waiting patiently (ha!) for this day to get here. I cannot wait to associate these kicks and bumps with a particular he or she. Also, I cannot wait to go shopping!

This week we will start to select the paint color for the nursery as well. Jeremy started this weekend by painting the ceiling, the first real work we've done in that room. He's very excited to continue the project. I am very grateful he's so willing to do the bulk of the heavy lifting.


Kicks and flutters are much more frequent now! Some of them are even strong enough to startle me or make me jump. I was convinced that a few were strong enough, but Jeremy laid patiently with his hand on belly and we're still too early. This kid packs a punch! While I don't feel like my belly is poking out any more, I do feel as though I'm filling in. We can pretend I don't look tired, but I am! Here we are at 19 weeks:

Tomorrow will come the big gender reveal! So, if you want to cast your vote, hop to!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

The Nursery

As promised, we plan to capture the progress in the nursery from start to finish. Here are a few photos now that the room is mostly empty. 
Before:
 
Standing in the doorway, looking left. (Jeremy cleaning away!)
 
Standing in the door, looking straight/right.

 Standing in the far corner (seen above) looking back at the door.

  
Starting to plan the board and batten! 
 
 
Our sweet little Lacey.

So, as you can see, it is a relatively small bedroom. But I think we're up for the challenge! Thankfully the closest already has an organization system. Now, so long as this kid doesn't inherit a shopping problem like his/her mother, we should be okay for storage.

Time to get creative!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

18 Weeks

Hello from our 18th week!

This week our babe is about 5 1/2" long (or the size of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7ounces. He or she is busy flexing its arms and legs - working on getting buff already! Also, if we're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. Should it be boy, his genitals are now noticeable (so long as he's not hiding in the ultrasound). These things are great, especially since we only have ONE WEEK until our anatomy scan!

We had our regular monthly visit with Doc Oc and he didn't want to wait another couple weeks, so he tried sneak a peek at our babes gender. However, with the grainy portable office machine, a tricky umbilical cord, and some conflicting pictures, we didn't have a definitive answer. He says that he's 70% sure that it's a girl. Only another week and we'll know for sure! Then the real shopping can begin! :)

Today we spent with Grandpa Jerry. He came up for lunch and we started the plans for the nursery. He's going to help us install board and batten over the next few weeks. We've got the layout, measurements, and general plan in place! Grandpa used to be a framer and he's got a lot of experience with woodwork, so we couldn't have a better set of hands to help us. We're so very grateful!

Don't you worry, we'll be taking pictures of the progress as we go.

Speaking of progress - here is this weeks updated belly photo.
Lots to do over the next few months, but it feels great to have a plan. Now if we can just find a crib we both like... Oh and don't get me started on trying to agree on a girls name!

Monday, March 5, 2012

17 Weeks

This past week brought a special milestone - I felt the baby move for the first time! After reading what those first movements could feel like, I lay in bed each night and patiently wait to see if anything would happen. I don't feel him/her every time I try, but I have a couple times now and it is amazing. Those first movements felt like a little bubble or popcorn popping. It is definitely something that I will never forget! I am so thrilled for Jeremy to get to share this experience soon.

At 17 weeks our baby is about 5 inches long and weighs about 5 ounces. He or she is about the size of an onion, or your hand all spread out. This week the baby's skeleton is changing from cartilage to bone. He or she is also starting to accumulate some fat! Nothing quite like a chubby baby, or an excuse for a bite or two of ice cream. Right?

I don't feel like my bump has changed a lot this week, but here it is!
We have an appointment tomorrow and two weeks from today is our big anatomy scan! Big things are right around the corner!