18 weeks today

We had our 18 week appointment today. Apparently I am gaining weight like a champ! A champ who eats three very large meals and many, many calorie packed snacks!The doctor was quite impressed with my growth! The baby's heart rate was 157 beats per minute today- must have been very active at that time I guess! I still can't feel any movements yet, but hopefully soon...

The baby at about 10 weeks...

This was taken around 8 weeks ago. At least in this new picture you can see what looks to be a head, body and little arms- so cute!

Our little peanut...

When we went in for our first appointment, I sort of by chance already had a regular OB appointment made with Dr. Su but when I found out I was pregnant, I called to ask what we should do and they told me to just go ahead and come in. Instead of the usual pap, I took yet another pregnancy test, turns out fancy Dr. pee-sticks are the exact same thing that can be purchased at Walgreens, only they cost 100 times more!
To my delight, Dr. Su went ahead and did an early ultrasound, just to see what was going on in there. Low and behold, there really was something growing inside me! All that was visible at that point was a tiny little sack with what could be assumed were the makings of a baby. It didn't look like much, but still it was terribly exciting to see!

2 pink lines...

So... it's been a while... a loooong while since last I posted. I guess I got rather caught up in a very major side effect of the original point of this blog- the "gift", when I found out we are expecting! That's right, Rick and I are expecting a baby this coming March. Turns out sex often times equals baby- who knew?!
After an initial shock, we are beginning to settle into the idea of ourselves as parents and are actually daring to become a little excited about the prospect! I want to write a little about the day I found out and then how I told Rick, so here goes...
It was Saturday, July the 12th in the p.m. Rick was at work. I took a test prior to my evening shower and waited... one pink line- "okay, not pregnant, too soon anyway." After all, we had only been "trying" for a couple weeks. Showered. Got out to towel off and glanced down at the test, still sitting on the rim of the sink... "What’s that? TWO pink lines?!" WOW!!! The second line was sooooo faint, hardly visible and yet still undeniable. But I wasn't convinced... I searched the internet for answers... what does a faint 2nd line mean, how reliable are these things anyway?!
I went to bed before Rick got home and got up moments after he walked out the door for work at 6:00 a.m., rushing to the bathroom to double check the previous night's findings... sure enough- 2 pink lines again. This time, very slightly more distinct.
I don't think I was 100% convinced at this point, but I was getting there. I decided I should tell Rick, but how? I searched the mall for some way to tell him without actually "telling" him. Some little token that would say, "Hey, I know this is rather sudden but turns out you are going to be a father- what do you think about that?!" Nothing jumped out at me. Later that day, while doing a little shopping at Wal-Mart I found it- the perfect way to tell my husband... a tiny little batman onesie- complete with cape. (For those of you who didn't know, Rick is a batman freak). So I put the tiny little superhero outfit in a bag with a dad-to-be book, She's Having a Baby and I'm Having a Nervous Breakdown, stuck my pregnancy test in the front cover and waited for him to come home.
It took me awhile to get up the courage to spit it out. Finally, when we were both upstairs finishing up packing for our trip to Chicago the next day, I gave him the gift. I think at first, he thought it was something for him to wear, but as he held up the onesie and examined it more closely; the amused smile gave way to a look of confusion and perhaps terror as he opened the book and studied the little stick with two pink lines. "I'm pregnant" I told him, just to confirm the conclusion he was slowly drawing in his mind. I think he said something like, "wow, oh, wow..." Not with joy exactly, just with pure shock.
He has come a long way since that night, we both have! From almost 100% anxiety and surprise to acceptance and anticipation. It took a couple more tests for me to be completely convinced we were indeed having a baby, but when my period didn't show up and we visited the doctor a few weeks later for a first peek at the tiny peanut growing inside me, we both came to terms with the reality of what was happening and what was coming. We are going to be parents... what a thought.