Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Almost the end...

Tiny's almost here!!!
I'm currently in the middle of week 36, but I took these pictures last week.  Not much has physically changed over the course of a week, however I am feeling Braxton Hicks contractions a heck of a lot more often, and they are much more uncomfortable than they were before.  I hope that's a good sign that our baby will be here soon!


I've been feeling pretty great this entire pregnancy, but now I'm so close to the end that I can hardly wait any longer to meet my little one.  That and I'm starting to become less and less comfortable as the days go on.  Sleeping?  I forget what that word means.  I almost feel abnormal if I go an hour without sciatic nerve pain!  Not to mention, simple things like tying my shoes or even standing up after a long period of sitting still is ridiculously hard.  I don't know why I always think I'm an exception to the rule, but I thought a while back... Eh, I've felt great so far.  I won't feel all the aches and pains near the end.  Silly me.  As for exercising these days... yeah right.  I've tried, and I can pat myself on the back for sticking with it during my entire second trimester and part of the third.  However, the last time I tried to do my workout (last week I think) I about fell over a million times because I have no balance, and I ended up sitting on my couch halfway through feeling not only fatigued, but also having contractions that took a while to go away.  Maybe I'll pick it back up if I want to pop the baby out sooner.  ;)  Seriously, though, I think I'll save the workouts until after the baby is born.  Then I can get back to my Pilates and lose some of these chins!  And to anyone that says to me, "Oh, you won't feel like exercising after the baby comes!  You'll be too tired..." or something along those lines, then you don't know me as good as I'd like you to.  The fact that I had to drop the Pilates workouts 10 months ago is about the only thing I would like to change about pregnancy.  And maybe always feeling like I'm on an emotional roller coaster.  Or the fact that I have no control over the chin growth.  :)  I can blame my husband for the recent weight gain, though.  He's the one that bought me a 44 ounce bag of Reese's Eggs off of amazon.com since stores haven't started selling them yet.  Good guy.




I had my final sonogram last Friday, too.  It was great!  It was so different from my 20 week one because baby has grown so large.  They checked the kidney situation, and as expected one of them never grew at all, but the wonderful news is that the fluid levels are completely normal, so it was confirmed that the one kidney that is there is doing an awesome job!  Baby will be just fine!  :)  For the first time I saw the 3D image of our little one, and it turns out "Tiny" ironically not very tiny.  Its sweet little cheeks are so chubby!  I saw the picture and was overwhelmed by how beautiful the little one is, but I couldn't help but to laugh at those cute, super squeezable cheeks!  How wonderful it's going to be when Daddy and I get to kiss them!  I was told that baby is in the 54th percentile in size, and is (or at least was last Friday) 5.4 pounds.  Certainly even more now!  The little one slept through the entire appointment, and as always was being stubborn when we tried to get a good look at its face.  Maybe it didn't want us to see before the actual birth so the face could be a surprise, but rest assured, Tiny one... We still don't know if you're a boy or girl!  There will be many wonderful surprises the day we welcome you!  :)  It took a lot of persuasion and changing positions for us to catch a small glimpse of him or her, but I'm happy we did.  It was incredible to see my baby sleeping with its head on its hands.  So sweet.



Finally, I had a doctor's appointment at my regular office on Monday.  It was my first internal exam, so I was pretty nervous.  This appointment was a lot different than all of my others.  Because of the baby's renal agenesis, they had me strapped to a fetal monitor to A. Check and see if I'm having contractions, B. Record the heart rate, and C. Determine how often I can feel movement.  They had me lay down on the table for 20 minutes while I listened to the little heart beating, and every time I felt the baby move I had to push a button.  They said everything was good.  Actually, their exact words were, "What a good baby you have!!"  :)  I was surprised to see the heart rate jump anywhere from 120 bpm all the way to 170!  It must've been higher when it was excited.

The actual internal exam didn't hurt at all as I expected it to.  However one thing was determined that surprised me... I'm already 2 cm dilated!  Dr. Mellinger told me it doesn't necessarily mean I'll go early, but it just means I have a "head start" when labor actually does come on.  Good news for me!

And in the world of the Navy, Daddy finally has his orders and will be home... like in a couple days!  How exciting for us!!!!!!!!!!  Finally our little family will be all together... Next up, moving to Virginia!  My life is one big adventure after the next.  I wouldn't have it any other way!

26 days and counting...

Monday, February 7, 2011

My Baby Shower

Tiny One,
On Saturday, February 5th, Mama had a baby shower to celebrate us soon being able to welcome your sweet face into this world!  You're 34 weeks old now, so it won't be much longer!!


You got a lot of ... 

 that we will have fun with.
Your parents received a stroller, crib sheets, blankets, lotions, body wash, a bassinet, changing pads, diapers, pacifiers, a diaper genie to keep our home smelling super fresh and clean, diaper bags, a cover for your carrier to keep you toasty and warm, nail clippers, a thermometer, scrapbooking supplies so I can show off my many photos of you, etc.


You received a lot of very cute clothing that mommy and daddy will enjoy dressing you up in.  Bibs, robes, onesies, teeny tiny shoes, little baby outfits that will make people say, "AWWWW!"  when they see you...



...Bottles to feed you with, a set of sippy cups and bowls to put your baby food in, spoons that will tell me if your food is too hot!



Toys for you to play with while you're in the car seat, an activity gym that we will have fun with when you want to roll around or have tummy time, rattles, a soothing sounds mobile that will help you fall asleep at night...
 And mommy's favorite... books to read to you during the day or when you want a bedtime story at night.  Daddy and I can't wait to rock you in our arms and read you stories.  Our families and friends bought you all kinds of fun books, and they even signed the inside covers so you know how much we can't wait to meet you!
We played games like a baby trivia and a word scramble, and we gave out prizes to the winners.

 I opened all of the presents and cards that everyone got to celebrate you, and I had a lot of fun!  I was so happy to have my wonderful family and friends all in the same room together, and I can't wait for you to meet each and every one of them.



We had a wonderful time, and everyone is excited to finally be able to say... 
 !

Love,
Mama

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

30 weeks!




It's that time again!  Baby and I got out my trusty camera and took some pictures to document our time spent together.




Last week, I had my last 4 week prenatal checkup.  From now on I go every 2 weeks!  I can't believe it's already time for that.  This entire time has flown by, but I guess that's because I'm still having fun!  So, as for weight gain... heh.  Yeah.  Definitely got on the scale last week and gained 7 pounds since last month.  I figured it would catch up to me.  That and it's hard to resist everyone's Christmas cookies, which (for the record) Tiny and I found to be delicious!
 The doctor measured me, as always, and I'm still right on target.  He made me feel better about the 7 pounds thing.  He said, "Well, you only gained one pound the month before, so think of it as baby making up for the other 3 you were supposed to gain."  :)  Heartbeat was 145 bpm... again.  Still thinkin this one's a boy.  We'll see, though.  Not much longer to go!



 Over the past month, I have gone back to working at the dental office to fill in for our receptionist who had to leave because her mother became ill.  :(  As much as I love being a dental hygienist, I do have to say one thing.  I'm partially glad I'm not working on patients anymore.  My belly might get in the way!  I never sat ergonomically correct to begin with, so I think I'd find it difficult to see inside the mouths without my usual leaning over!  Everything is going well, though.  Now the only concern is getting there safely in the snow, but I'm not very worried about that.  God's been good to me!


Dana's been self pacing through his school in Great Lakes.  He's like the only one allowed to do that.  I guess if you make a big enough stink about already being qualified/not needing to go through the same old thing he already did before, having a pregnant wife a few states away, etc. they'll give in.  :)  In fact, he only has 9 more training days left.  I'm counting them down!  That means he should be getting orders soon, and we can finally find out where we'll be living!  The suspense is killing me.  haha.


Baby shower plans are coming along.  I'm going to have it on February 5th, and I can't wait.  I have some pretty awesome ladies planning it for me.  Diana has made the invites, and with her creativity they are bound to be amazing!  Steph and Jenny are figuring out the location, brainstorming activities, etc.  Mom's thinking of decorations, party favors... all the things she likes and does best.  :)  Everyone's doing all sorts of wonderful things to make my shower awesome, and I couldn't be more grateful!!!




Only 68 more days to go!!!!!!  We're getting SO excited to meet each other!  Yahhooooo!!!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Adventures with Daddy

On Friday, Tiny and I took a Southwest flight into Chicago to stay with Daddy at Great Lakes Naval Base for five days.  Our little family had an awesome time!


The weather was frigid, but we stayed warm in our "love nest"... or as most other people call it, a hotel room.


Getting to the hotel room on Friday was a bit of a fiasco, though.  Dana had to sit in traffic for an eternity to get to the airport, and once he got there, we were both so hungry that we decided to stop at the closest Subway on our drive back.  After we ate, we drove an hour back towards the base when suddenly we realized that his military I.D. was missing... so then we had to venture the entire way back to the Subway (which was literally like 2 minutes away from Midway airport) to search the ground for it.  Thank God, one of the workers found it and picked it up cause it would have been a disaster had he not!  So my flight landed at around 2 p.m. and I think we checked in around 10 p.m.??  Crazy.







We played house in our mini kitchenette after stocking it with the necessities... You know.  Bread, Peanut butter, Honey Nut Cheerios (Tiny's favorite), Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream.  ;)






 
Baby Tiny,


In case you couldn't understand what Daddy was saying to you through the layers of belly fat, peanut butter, and heavy sweaters, I'll give you a brief summary.  He was telling you just how much he loves you and misses you when he's not around.  He apologized for not being able to always be there for every kick and squirm that you entertain me with.  He thinks you are absolutely adorable, even in my belly, and he can't wait to meet you and see you smile.... and neither can I!  Oh, and he said to be good to your mama.  :)  He really, really loves us, little one. 


We were so, so, so sad to leave each other today, but it's comforting to know that life won't always be like this.  No matter what obstacle we have thrown our way, nothing could ever separate us or tear apart our bond.  I'm in one heck of an awesome marriage and have one amazing, little family! 







So I'm in my last week of the second trimester.  Scary stuff!!  This pregnancy has flown by!!  Right now, I'm trying to plan (or at least gather up ideas) for my baby shower.  I'd like to have it next month sometime before Dana gets his orders.  I'm starting to really feel, well, pregnant now!  My belly skin constantly feels tight and as if it's stretching too far, my belly button is still trying to disappear... and I realize that my constant pushing it back in place and fighting the outie isn't going to work much longer.  My hips are stretching, my back is sore, my ankles swell up... Yeah.  Pregnant.  I can't imagine what the next few months will bring!  Still, I'm enjoying this so very much!  


Every kick and flip brings a very happy smile to this mama's face.  89 days to go!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

25 weeks

 So, today I am 25 weeks and 1 day pregnant.  I hadn't done any portraits in a while, and since I hit yet another growth spurt I decided to record my progress.  Here they are!
I  also had a doctor's visit today, and it went really well!  I saw Dr. Christine LaBella this time, and she was awesome!  I really, really liked her a lot.  I was weighed, as usual, and it turns out I only gained a pound and a quarter since last appointment.  I was told I would be gaining about a pound a week from this point on, so that threw me for a loop (especially since it's the season of sweets and large dinners), but when I asked if that was healthy, they told me "absolutely."  So the grand total of weight gain so far since the beginning is....drumroll, please.... ..... 15 pounds.  Fifteen.  I expected it to be more, but I won't complain.


Check back after my next appointment on January 7th, and see if I'm singing another tune.  I bet I will be!  ;)
Anyways, the results of my blood work came back, and everything looks great.  Not that I was worried that I had AIDS, hepatitis, etc.  I'm so grateful that I'm so healthy and baby is healthy, too.  They keep telling me that they're not worried about the lack of kidney in Tiny.  I'm not worried, either.  I can feel that sweet baby constantly kicking and squirming around in there, and I really truly know that it will be watched over and taken care of for its entire life.


 When Dr. LaBella was checking out baby's heartbeat, it was doing funny things in there.  Every time she'd put the Doppler on my belly, we'd hear the heart beating for a few seconds, and then it would be gone.  Then she'd move to the other side of my belly, and we'd hear it again... then it would disappear.  So she'd move back to the other side, and there baby would be.  We were laughing at how stubborn it was being.  Tiny just kept "swimming" back and forth... It was as though it was playing a game.  I've never known a fetus with such a personality.  ;)  It's done this before with the ultrasound technician, too.  I think it's really funny.
The measurement of my uterus is right on target.  It was 25 cm, and I'm 25 weeks, so baby is growing at a perfect rate.  I'm so glad.  For a while, I thought I was getting too big!  I can literally feel my skin stretching and expanding, and it's bizarre.  I've never NOT had a belly button before.  It's not totally gone, but close enough!  Growing babies is a strange thing.  Fun, enjoyable, enlightening, rewarding... the list can go on and on, but it's certainly strange.
So about my portraits-


My normal teeshirts are slowly starting to get too small.  I think in another month, they will be totally unwearable.  I figured I'd get another portrait in with one of my favorite bright blue ones before I totally have to put it into the "post-baby box."


As for my winter sweaters, I've always bought them longer and stretchy, so we're still good to go!  I'm glad because sweaters aren't the cheapest form of clothing, and I'm trying to buy as little as possible now that I'm not working.  That, and I just love my old winter clothes too much to put them away until they fit again!  :)


My Evgeni Malkin Penguins jersey is about to bust at the seams with my belly stretching it, so I had to get a photo in that before it's too late.
And finally, one of my favorite dresses still fits me (again, barely!!) so I had to put that on just for fun.  I wouldn't be wearing it during this season anyways.  Regardless, I was curious to try it on while I was having fun with my photo shoot, and was surprised to see that I could zip it up!


Anyways, I hope you like them.  And by "you" I mean the 3 people that I think read my blog... that is, if there even are 3!!  haha.  ;)




104 days to go!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

I'm slacking on the posts here!

Wow.  I can't believe it's been almost a month since I posted anything.  Maybe "baby brains" has finally kicked in.  In the past month, the following has happened.
I found Tiny baking and preparing for Thanksgiving, which we spent at Aunt Lauren and Uncle Ian's house this year.  Daddy came home from Great Lakes, IL to spend time with us for a few days.  IT WAS AWESOME!  We had lots of fun just lounging around, laughing, and spending time together.  Dana was amazed with the baby.  Last time he saw it, it was the size of a sesame seed.  Now Tiny's not particularly so tiny anymore.  Daddy felt the kicks and little movements, and baby certainly could hear his voice.  Whenever Dana would talk to it, I could feel our baby squirming around and kicking.  When he put his hand on my belly, I'd literally feel the baby's fist move directly underneath it.  It was beautiful.  :)  We miss him.

However, I have a plane ticket to Chicago on the 17th of this month until the 22nd... and it only cost me $2.  (I had some leftover funds in my account at Southwest.com.)  We're so excited to go!!  Dana can't come home for Christmas, so this is kind of an early Christmas visit so he can see his little family again.

The "Welcome Baby!  We'll miss you, Marybeth!" cake from my goodbye party at work.
On Friday, I had my last day of work at Severns Dentistry.  I CRIED my eyes out!  I just loved working there for the past 3 years.  We always had lots of fun, and I truly loved my co-workers (who are actually much, much more... We've become great lifelong friends), my two bosses who always treated me with much respect, gave me a reason to love my job, and who I admire so very much, and also my patients which I got to know very well.  I just enjoyed every moment in that office... including the frustrating times because they always gave me a fun story to share.  I hope I can go back someday and return to my job.

In the meantime, my new favorite job will be taking care of my wonderful baby and my very loving husband... and I'm positive it will be far, far more rewarding and enlightening than any other job I'll ever have.  :)

Oh, and I also had to get some prenatal bloodwork done over the past month, but we don't need to elaborate on that anymore.  *Gag*

25 weeks (tomorrow) and growing....

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Tipping the scales...

I love this workout DVD!!!

Today I had another OB appointment.  It was pretty uneventful, other than I got to hear the wonderful heartbeat again.  I did learn a few things.

1.  One in 1,300 people are born without a kidney.
2.  My fundal measurement is 24 cm, which is pretty much right on target.
3.  I learned what a fundal measurement even is!
4.  It's okay to look at the scale and ask, "IS THAT EVEN HEALTHY?!!"
5.  Random face breakouts are totally normal and will go away... eventually.
6.  Refusing the optional flu shot is also okay, even if others try to influence your decision to do so over and over and over...
7.  Gaining 12 pounds in your first 21 weeks isn't nearly as bad as it seems.


...That being said, I'd like to continue talking about my weight gain since it's bugging me today.  :) Apparently I should just look away from the scale from now on at appointments because I was disturbed to see myself bumped up from the 30's to the 40's.  Not fun.  I really try hard to eat well, but I definitely slip up often.  Why are Reese's cups so good?!?!  The only thing that has saved me is the wonderful prenatal workout dvd that my awesome husband bought for me.  When I first got it, I thought it was going to be a yoga workout... aaand then I quickly found out that it was pretty much aerobics + Pilates.  I didn't start using it until the second trimester, which by that time I had already lost my pre-pregnancy endurance, so it was pretty difficult.  After a couple days of doing the hour long workout, I felt SOOOO much better!  It's actually really fun, and I can honestly say completely effective.  I'd be blubber if I didn't do it a few times a week.  It's certainly recommended by me to any expecting moms.  I'm so grateful Dana is so good at picking things out for me like this... and the lifesaving pregnancy pillow he bought me!  (But that can be another post... hehehe.)  I could go on and on about how wonderful he is and how much I love that man, but I'd have to make an entirely new blog.  :)

I'll just finish up on this note.  Baby is healthy.  Momma is becoming more rotund each day, but healthy.  Daddy is...well, actually sick at the moment.  However, he's coming home to us in a few weeks for thanksgiving, and WE CAN'T WAIT!!!

(132 days to go!!!)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

(Tiny dressed up like a skeleton for halloween this year.)
Our baby is so amazing.

On Monday I had to travel to West Penn hospital to have another ultrasound done by a specialist.  Our baby is fine, but it does have one abnormality.  The left kidney never developed.  When you hear that, it seems to be a scary thing.  Automatically, everyone starts thinking of horrible scenarios like transplants later in life, strict dieting, etc.  In fact, the doctor told me there's absolutely nothing to worry about.  She said the right kidney is fully formed and has picked up the slack of the missing left one.  The amniotic fluid is at a normal level, so that shows the one kidney is working as there were two.  Then she showed me all the heart chambers again, all the pathology of the brain, spine, etc. and told me we have a very healthy baby that will be able to live a normal healthy life, even if it is missing an organ. When she first started the ultrasound, the baby wasn't laying on its back... It was on it's belly sleeping with its little tush in the air.  It was the sweetest thing I've ever seen.  It woke up pretty quickly and then started bouncing around.  We laughed because it was looking at the "camera" and waving its little arms around as if trying to say, "Over here, over here!"  I love this little bugger.  I'll have to scan all the other photos she gave me of the legs, fingers, and toes.

Dana and I aren't worried.  We have faith that our little pumpkin will be a strong, healthy child, and we know God looks after our little family.  :)

(Baby is 13 ounces and the length of a large banana.  I'm 20 weeks and halfway done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Portrait day!


19 week portrait day!


Today I had the day off work, so I got busy doing my week 19 shots.  I have fun doing them.  It's always fun to get out my camera and practice, but it's even more of a challenge to get out and practice on yourself!  I have to set up my camera on my tripod and use my remote on 2 second delay to get situated.  It's actually quite comical to see if you were watching.  I stand in place, push the button on my remote, and then chuck it across the room so it's not in the picture.  It even makes me laugh, especially when it hits a wall or something.  It's really unnecessary for me to throw it as hard as I do sometimes.






I've been feeling the baby kicking around a lot these past few days.  It's almost to the point where I can tell when it wakes up and when it's napping.  Honestly, it is the coolest thing in the world.... if only I could get it to not kick my bladder when I'm in the middle of working on a patient and can't get up.  ;) 










Anyways, in my babycenter.com update I got this week, they said baby's sensory development is exploding, and research shows baby could hear my voice.  I had a hunch that it possibly could because after work yesterday when I was driving home, I was singing for whatever reason louder than I normally do, and that little bugger was kicking up a storm.... probably begging me to quiet down!  haha.  Then, I got home and read that in my email, and it kind of made sense.  It also said that baby is about 6 inches in length and is starting to sprout hair on its head.  I bet the hair is curly.  :)


146 days to go!!  I'm almost halfway there!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Baby's First Sonogram!



We've been waiting so long for this appointment to come, and the day is finally here!!!!!!


Meet Baby Hancher... the unknown gender child.  We decided to not find out if we're having a boy or girl!  Sometimes a surprise is nice, and I think it's safe to say that I'll greatly enjoy a big surprise like that after the whole painful labor situation I'll be in.  :)


The appointment was really fun, actually.  Besides having my bladder so full that I'm fairly certain I needed to be wearing Depends and an ultrasound tech that pushed so incredibly hard on my lower abdomen that I was 98% sure I was going to pee all over the table, everything was great.  However, since no accidents happened, I can say that things ran smoothly.  The baby's heart rate was 148 bpm, and it looked very healthy.  It's kind of funny watching the 4 chambers of the heart move so quickly.  Apparently baby weighs 9 ounces, although I wonder how on earth they determine that!  Baby stretched around a good bit after a heck of a lot of prodding, but it seems to like being curled up in my belly during mid morning hours.  Maybe I should have scheduled an afternoon appointment.  I know for a fact it  likes to start exercising then!  I can sometimes feel it kicking around and flipping from one side to the next.  This is a fairly new feeling, so it always takes me by surprise and makes me giggle.  Anyways, 10 fingers, 10 toes, eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.  It's a cute little bugger.


Just seeing it bounce around in there was the most beautiful and entertaining thing in the world!  I wanted to share the video with everyone, so enjoy!


152 days to go!

Monday, October 11, 2010

My New Used Book.






"Some of my more unfortunate girlfriends have had such extreme nausea that they would gag right in the middle of a sentence.  My poor girlfriend Maryann was so plagued by morning sickness that she would throw up spontaneously.  There would be no warning signs, like a wave of nausea or a watering of the mouth.  One moment she would be chatting normally, and the next minute it was the pea soup scene from The Exorcist.  She just sat as quietly as possible with her mouth clenched tightly to try to keep the mess to a minimum."

This book makes me laugh.  A week or so ago, one of my patients at work asked me what pregnancy books I've been reading.  I told her "What To Expect When You're Expecting," which is almost a given with how popular it is among expecting mothers these days.  She suggested I read "The Girlfriends' Guide To Pregnancy" because it was her absolute favorite, and it didn't contain only medical advice or questions like all the others.  Being somewhat of a hypochondriac anyways, I thought maybe I should read a book that didn't put horrible ideas/symptoms into my head to save the little sanity I have left!  I decided to take her advice because she seems to have a personality like my own.  Out of curiosity, I stopped at Half Price Books only to find a good, solid copy for $1! I started reading it and was laughing hysterically at some of the stuff in there while I was outside the other day.  My voice was echoing all over the neighborhood.  The author basically tells it exactly how it is, and always has funny comparisons or stories to go with every subject.  It's seriously great!  I would recommend it to any mother-to-be, especially if she has a quirky sense of humor like my own.


In other more recent news, I'm finally being able to tell the difference between the baby moving and... well, I don't know what else I thought it was before.  Digestion doesn't feel like someone bouncing around inside you... at least not normal digestion!  I feel flutters occasionally, but I've mostly felt teeny tiny kicks when my bladder is super full.  I think the baby is giving mama upper cuts and jabs to get her out of bed cause it's being squished by what feels like an overactive bladder.  ;)  It's really fun to feel that, though.  As much as I yell down to it in my most ferocious baby voice, "Stop hurtin' your mama, Tiny!", I secretly want it to keep kicking around more and more all day long just so I know it's having fun in there.

I really, REALLY love this little baby.  
(5 ounces, 5 inches long now... 161 more days to go!)

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Our newest, best news yet!





Surprise!!!!!!!  We're having a baby... my baby and me!  :)


Dana and I are ridiculously excited to be new parents at the end of March.  We can't wait for our little spring chicken to get here.


So far, the pregnancy has been great.  I was pretty nauseated from week 5 to 8, but with the help of Werther's Originals and ginger snaps, I kept it under control.  Now I feel fantastic!  I have energy again, I have control of my cravings (for the most part... hehe), and I'm back to exercising, which feels wonderful to my changing body.


I must say, this week has been pretty eventful.  I changed doctor's because of my new insurance, and so far I really like them.  I was weighed again, and they told me my body is changing at a steady, healthy rate, and I "look great for being 16 weeks."  :)  (I was happy to hear that!)  More importantly, though, this is the first week that I heard baby's heartbeat.  It was amazing.  There was nothing more beautiful to me than hearing "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." coming from the doppler.  I wanted to record it and listen to it over and over again on my ipod.  I can't wait to hear it at my first ultrasound appointment in a couple weeks!!!


So, "Tiny" as we've nicknamed the unknown gender baby, is doing very well.  It's healthy and growing bigger and bigger every week.  (4 1/2 inches long I do believe.)  That's all for now.  Just wanted to let everyone know our exciting news!!!!!!!!!!!!