A Quiet Christmas

This Christmas was a quiet one for Kyle and I as it was the first year since we've been together that we have not traveled somewhere to visit family. At first, I was super bummed and felt sorry for myself for a having a "lonely" Christmas, especially since we weren't even planning on exchanging gifts! But I have to say, it was a great weekend, and one that I know will most likely never happen again as we begin to expand our family.

On Friday night we went up to Valparaiso, IN to visit college friends and attend a Christmas party. It was so fun seeing everyone and getting to dress a little silly. Definitely got me in the Christmas spirit!

The hubster's awesome outfit:

My BFF and baby bump making an appearance:

We spent Saturday traveling back and had a late lunch with our pastor and his family. It was so nice, and they fed us well! We feel so blessed to be part of such a strong community through our church, they really are family to us! Then that night we had dinner with my brother and his girlfriend, ate even MORE food, exchanged gifts, and played games. I felt very content and glad to be in Indy enjoying Christmas with them. And Baby R got her first Christmas gift from her Uncle TJ!

Cant' wait to find a matching bow!

Christmas morning Kyle and I slept in and opened stockings from each other. We even stuffed stockings for Peyton and Kami, which they loved of course! The plan for the day was to get up and make a big breakfast, but pregnancy brain eluded.. and I forgot to go to the store to even get anything to make! We went to FIVE different stores, all closed (which is a good thing) before we threw in the towel and got breakfast at Hardee's. A memory I know we will share forever!

The next night I got to see a couple girlfriends who were in town and we eat pizza and played games. The night was great, but way too short!

Jessie (in from Kansas City, Cass, and Katie (in from California)

Overall it was a sweet holiday, even though I wasn't looking that forward to it. I did feel the "Christmas Spirit" and definitely thought a lot about why we celebrate the season at all. It isn't for the gifts, and contrary to what most people believe, it is not just a time to get together with family either. It is a time to thank God for sending his Son, making a divine creature in to a human, to save our sinful souls. No matter what Kyle and I do or do not have in life, we have the saving grace of Jesus Christ and a marriage built with God at the center... now THAT makes for a Merry Christmas!!

Movement!

After a couple false alarms I am CONFIDENT I have felt the baby move. People say that it will feel like a "butterfly" or like "popcorn popping in your stomach" but I am not sure if I would describe the sensation with either of those. It is almost indescribable. As most pregnant women know, you may think you feel movement and albeit, its just gas. (gross, ewwwww, I know, shush) So I've been hesitant to even think this funny sensation is the baby at all.

Anyhoo this is the best way I can describe it: it almost feels as if there is a bird that flies right through my belly, like in then out. After about 3 consecutive days of feeling this weird sensation at sporadic times, I can now officially say... the baby is moving!

It's pretty awesome. I haven't noticed any patterns to it at all, but thankfully it hasn't effected my sleeping. It is a pretty light sensation, but fun nonetheless. I am looking forward to getting bigger so Kyle can feel it too. It will be something fun to share together :)

And because a blog post isn't fun with out PICTURES.... Here is a pic of us with our little hellion. Good thing she is SO. DANG. CUTE.

Baby Regal is a.....!!

We had another ultrasound scheduled this week with the study (New Moms 2 Be) and we knew we had the opportunity to find out the sex of the baby. As soon as we found out we were pregnant we knew that we were going to find out the sex. The plan going in to this appointment was to have the ultrasound tech find out the sex, but conceal it in envelope and we would open in on Christmas morning. As a way to save money this year, Kyle and I decided just to fill each other's stockings and for-go getting gifts. The idea of opening the envelope with our baby's gender would allow us to have something to forward to opening on Christmas morning.

Well.. that was the original plan. The days leading up to the ultrasound I had this strong feeling that I was having a boy. When I thought about the nursery, I thought about blues and greys, when I thought about names I kept thinking of boy names. Plus, almost everyone I know that is pregnant is having a girl, so I figured... law of nature.. I must be having a boy!

So when we got to our appointment I started telling Kyle that I knew it was a boy, so why wait. He was surprised, because waiting until Christmas was my idea to begin with. He asked me, "Are you sure you want to find out today?" and my reply was "There is no point in waiting until Christmas because I already KNOW!"

As soon as I hopped up on the table and the ultrasound tech placed the probe on my belly she said, "Do you want to find out" and I said "Yep, but I already know it is a boy" and she instantly said... "Oh honey, the baby is definitely a GIRL!"

I was SHOCKED! And so excited! And then kind of wished we would have waited, but my excitement of just knowing what we were having was all I could focus on. A sweet angel that would love accessories just as much as her mommy, a baby doll to dress up, a princess that would love her daddy just as much as I did. My heart just swelled with even more love for this baby as I thought about the times to come.

Before we found out I took every "gender prediction quiz" and read every old wives tale to see what I would having.

-The Chinese calender said girl, and we put a ring on a string above my belly, which went in a circle, which also means girl

*but* EVERY other sign was telling me boy!

-I crave salty snacks, I didn't have any morning sickness, I sleep on my left side, and the heart rate was less than 150

SO the moral of the story is that they are all a crack! There really is know what to know what you are having until an ultrasound.

Here are pics of our little princess!

Her Precious feet:

Pregnancy Likes and Dislikes

I'm 4 months in! For some reason I was really looking forward to the 16 week mark. It just seemed like a "milestone" to me, and one I welcomed with open arms.

So far this whole experience has come with some definite likes and dislikes.

What I LIKE about pregnancy so far...

...Knowing that there is a baby in my belly! (a little general I know, but it is SO FUN!)

...Being spoiled now, even more, from my husband. Kyle has always waited on my every need but somehow he continues to outdo HIMSELF and make me feel so special!

...This growing belly:

...The pouring in of LOVE from so many people! Whether I am work, church, or out with friends people are always checking up on me. I am not going to lie, it's nice!

...Having a good excuse -for anything! An excuse to rest, or to "opt out" of doing something I really don't want to, or to leave somewhere early I really don't want to be... whatever. I have the ultimate trump card/good excuse. A definite advantage.

...The MYSTERY. As excited as we are to find out the gender, I like the mystery aspect of this little guy/gal. Who are they? What are they going to look like? Blonde or brown hair? What color eyes? It is so fun to imagine!

What I am NOT liking about being pregnant...

...There is stuff I miss. Like turkey sandwiches. Listeria? Really? And No, I do not want to warm my turkey up in the microwave first. I want a normal turkey sandwich! And a glass of wine. Ok, I know I can have a glass of wine.. so maybe those nights where I want 2 glasses, or 3!

...Feeling frumpy. As much as I love my growing belly, there are other places that are growing as well! Between a new job, new schedule, and overall fatigue working out has been put on the back burner. I am hoping that once I go back to working 3 days a week I will get back on a normal work out schedule... do some cardio/weight training, SOMETHING. I need some good prego DVDs to do at home!

...That constant feeling of "Is the baby ok?" I am always worrying about the baby, whether or not is developing appropriately, if it is going to have major issues. If what I am doing is hurting the baby.

..Fear of the unknown. One word...Childbirth. Ahhhh scares the you know what out of me. I've heard everything from "I only pushed for 5 minutes" to "I was in labor for 18 hours and when they lost the baby's heart rate I had to go for an emergency C-section". YIKES.

And for the most exciting part... We have an ultrasound on Thursday to find out the gender! More to come on that :)

Last but not least.... A picture of my 2 loves...

15 Week Stats

I went to the doctor yesterday for a (late) 14 week check up.. So my official 15 week check up stats are:

Weight gained: 6lbs ((yuck))
Baby's HR: 148 ((does this mean BOY???))
Issues: NONE! Dr. Lee was very happy with everything

But we did get Bloodwork....
Kyle and I decided to get the "Quad Screen" which tests for the risk of probability of a genetic disorder. It is NOT diagnostic, meaning that a "positive" result does not mean that the baby will necessarily have any problems. The test only looks for whether or not the baby is at high risk for one, and from there we could decide to do further testing. (Examples of disorders include spina bifida, down's syndrome, or other chromosomal abnormailities)

What does this mean for us? We are strong believers in God's will for us and that whatever health condition the baby has, we were meant to be the parents of him or her, no matter what. To us, terminating the pregnancy would not be an option. So why even take the test then? Good question! Most of you who know me know that I am a PLANNER. If our baby will have special needs, I just want to be prepared. I will not love that baby any less. But I would like to have resources available, study up on certain conditions, etc. It could also effect our work plans, childcare options, and so on. So being just prepared is the biggest reason we decided to take the test.

We have strong faith in God that He is making the perfect baby for Kyle and I to be parents to, and we are excited about that!