The big announcement!

I apologize for the late announcement but we have been having troubles with our internet and of course it went out on Tuesday and just came back today. Anyways, the doctor's appointment went really well on Tuesday. The first thing they did was check for the heartbeat and found a very strong one. We also got to hear the baby kick the doppler a couple of times, that was very interesting. Next was the big ultrasound. I was really nervous. The first thing the ultra sound tech said was very disappointing. He said the baby was all balled up and had it's back to my belly so it might not be possible to see what the gender was. I was immediately deflated b/c I had built up so much excitement at finding out. Luckily for us, after seeing a lot of the spine, the baby rolled over and he was able to get a good look and tell us that he was almost positive it is a girl! The only reason he won't say 100% was because she was so balled up and in an awkward position. They are going to take another peak at my next appointment to verify that but he says he really feels positive that it's a girl he just doesn't want to say 100%. We got to see her little face and got a good profile picture (her body was folded in half and her feet were touching her head!) We even got a cute picture of her little foot! It's so cute!! I can already tell she's going to be beautiful! It was very exciting and both Waylon and I thrilled! Even though Waylon was hoping for a boy, he's still not disappointed or anything. He hopes we eventually WILL have a boy but we were both just ecstatic that she was healthy and moving around and all her parts were there. :) I think now I'll be able to relax more for future visits. This one was one that I had been stressing about for a while. It was the first visit in my 2nd trimester and I had taken those two weekend trips in a row that really wiped me out and I was afraid it might have hurt the baby. I was so happy to hear the heartbeat and hear such a strong one at that! I have several pictures but no scanner to upload them so I'm going to have to do that at my parents house tonight when I'm over there visiting with my sister and the kids when they get in from their long drive. I'm really excited about seeing her and being with her for the upcoming several weeks. It's going to be fun having my sister around to share in my pregnancy experience. This is the time where the major changes start happening and I start getting bigger and more noticeably pregnant. I'm really excited about that too! The next big thing will be to feel the baby move! I can't wait! I know towards the end babies move a lot and keep the mom's up from sleep but right now it will be well-welcomed.

I'm now officially the only cousin of the four cousins that are pregnant right now, having a girl! lol. Lydia just found out the day before me that she's having a boy, Grace (Lydia's sister) has known for a while now that she's having a boy, and today I got an email from my other cousin, Andrea in Colorado, that they are having a boy. My little girl is going to be outnumbered by boys this generation! It's ok though, she's going to be a tom boy so it will work out well for her. :)

Now I can finally go out and buy my first baby item. I have no idea what it will be but it's going to be cute, that's for sure. I'm excited about going shopping and starting to pick out nursery stuff and clothes and everything I'm going to need for her.

Amidst all the excitement of finding out what our baby is, I have been having headaches a lot. I told my doctor about it and she thinks it could be a few different things. One thing it could be is that my jaw has been popping when I eat and recently it popped really loud and the next day was really sore. I have had the popping for a while but it's never been sore the next day. That's one possibility. The other is just plain ole' hormones and the other is stress. Whatever it is, it's depriving me of good sleep which is what my doc was most concerned about so she gave me a prescription for some sleeping pills that are safe for during pregnancy. Now I'm not usually for this kind of thing and I've seen a lot of people get addicted to sleeping pills in my years in pharmacy, but with the headaches I've had and the little sleep I've gotten, I went straight to the pharmacy and got the prescription filled and have taken one for the past two nights. I have gotten great sleep and haven't had a headache (although I do feel one coming on right now because I'm slouched over my computer). My plan is to take it for a few more nights to get caught up and well-rested then go a few nights without it and see how I do. My doc also suggested that I go see a dentist and get my jaw checked out. I'm going to try to do that soon.

Well, I'm going to have to go because we need to go by the grocery store and get a few things before we head over to my parents and wait for them to get in. I also want to get those ultra sound pictures scanned into the computer so I can show off my little girl! :)

until next time!

Stephanie

p.s. I thought we had officially decided on a name for a girl, however, apparently we haven't. There's a new name in the mix (Layla with no middle name yet) and Waylon isn't wanting to completely decide yet so I will let you know when we're 100% sure on a name. Until then, I will just continue to call the baby "her" or "she". Trust me, I want a name picked out ASAP so I can start calling her by it...the husband doesn't understand why....sigh...