7 months and growing!!

Sorry it's been so long since our previous post.  We've just been so busy!  I can't believe how fast things are going now! I'm in the 3rd trimester - the home stretch!  I'm feeling great too which is a huge blessing. Yes, I'm still sick a few days a week but I'm so excited and happy that I barely notice anymore. :)  And other than heartburn and some minor back pain, I don't have any other symptoms.  Thank you, God!

I could honestly cry from happiness at any point throughout the day (and I often do) because I feel so incredibly blessed to be experiencing this amazing gift.  God has been so good to us and answered our prayers to make our dream of parenthood a reality.  I love my little Lucy so much already and I feel so lucky to be bringing her into this world!  We are not taking one moment of this journey for granted!

For those of you asking who haven't seen it on Facebook, here's a belly picture of us at 28 weeks pregnant. (We'll have to take a new one this week since we'll be 30 weeks - can't believe it!)

Other developments:
Lucy's nursery now has pink walls!! Her daddy spent Labor Day weekend working on her room and he did an awesome job! We still have lots to do but now that the walls and ceiling are painted, I can focus on decorating.  My parents are supposed to come visit this week while we're off work and Daddy is going to help Lewis refinish the dresser he used as a baby and throughout his childhood.  We're going to use it as a dresser/changing table combo.  I still need to get the rocker recovered and will hopefully make a fabric choice for that this week.  I'm feeling so anxious about getting her room ready and I know it's probaby just that nesting instinct everyone talks about.  I'm trying to take it a little at a time since I still have to take it easy - but I want it done NOW!  Poor Lewis is being so patient with me and going along with all my plans.  I honestly don't know what I would do without him.  He's been taking care of most chores around the house and has even taken over the laundry lately.  He takes such good care of me and I tell Lucy at least once a day how lucky we are to have him.  I love him so very much! 

Here he is hard at work painting the nursery:

A few weekends ago, we had our shower in Greensboro.  It was amazing!!!  The wonderful hosts/hostesses did an awesome job with everything and we had the best time!  Lewis's parents made the trip from here and I got to see some friends I haven't seen in years along with lots of famiy and friends.  We felt showered in love and came home with a car FULL of goodies for our little Lucy.  She is going to be one loved little girl! :)  Here are a few pictures from that night.  I know Lewis's mom took a ton more but these are the only ones I have for now. 

I have a doctor's appointment next week for a regular checkup and then 2 weeks later, I'll have another ultrasound to check the position of my placenta.  If it hasn't moved by then, we'll discuss scheduling a c-section.  I'm hoping we won't need one but I'm okay with whatever gets Lucy here safely.  :)  She's been a busy little lady lately - lots and lots of moving, kicking, and jabbing.  I can't describe how much I love that feeling and I can tell it's something I'll miss once she's born.  Lewis can clearly feel her movements now and we've even discovered if we press in on my belly, she likes to kick back.  Pretty cool, right?

I have a few craft projects planned this week and will post pictures as I get done.  It's such a blessing to have this week off together for Fall Break and perfect timing for all the projects we want to get accomplished. :)

Fun Times!

This week, I am 22 weeks along!  Time seems to be flying by now!  And little Lucy sure seems to be doing well because she's been doing flips in my belly and has even given me a couple of good little kicks lately.  I love feeling her moving and I can tell she's getting stronger every day.  I have waited for this feeling for what feels like forever and it's just as magical as I imagined!!

Lew and I have been busy planning for our new addition lately and we've gotten lots done.  We finally decided on a nursery theme!!  Yay!  We're going with Pottery Barn's "Penelope" bedding with pink and green for the nursery colors.  I love the little mama and baby birds on this bedding and we both really liked the colors.  Here's what it looks like:

We also registered at Babies R Us last night and it was so much fun!  It's amazing how much stuff a new baby needs but we felt so wonderfully blessed to finally be doing this!  Lewis was so cute and loved scanning all the items.  He's pretty clueless when it comes to what newborns and infants need but he loves learning about all the baby stuff and he really wants to be a part of all of it.  (This is one of the many reasons I know he is going to be an amazing father!)  Last night got us both really excited about meeting our little girl in a few short months and we left with the biggest smiles on our faces.  I'm going to register at Target today as well since they also have lots of cute baby stuff.  Can't wait!

As for how I'm feeling...  Well, I feel pregnant - much more pregnant this week than last.  My belly is starting to really pop and I feel a heaviness walking around that's new.  (For those of you asking, I'll try to post a picture of my growing bump next time!)  I'm enjoying the feeling right now but I know this is only the beginning and Lucy and I have a LOT more growing to do.  I haven't had anymore trouble with bleeding but I'm still on restricted activity for now.  I go back to the doctor on the 10th and they will do another ultrasound to check the position of the placenta and I'm praying it has moved so I can get back to normal.  Oh, and I'm still sick. At this point, I've just accepted that it's probably going to be that way until I give birth and I'm okay with that.  The part that bothers me is feeling like I can't do all the things I want to but I'm sticking to the doctors orders and will as long as I need to. 

Overall, I am absolutely loving this part of my pregnancy and I am happier than I've ever been in my whole life!  I am just so grateful and very, very blessed!!!

We're having a girl!!!

Today was my 20 week OB appointment and we had the big anatomy scan.  What an amazing day!!!  We went to a sneak-peek place last week and already knew it was a girl but I wanted to hear it confirmed today since the tech last week had a little trouble finding it.  Our little princess was extra wiggly today and the technician got the gender shot right away so now we know for sure that she is definitely a little girl!! :)  Although we honestly did not have a preference for boy or girl, we are thrilled!  I'm so excited about doing her nursery and buying all the little girly clothes and hair bows and Lewis is loving the idea of having a daddy's girl.  It just feels so good to finally know and we feel more bonded to her than ever!

Seeing our little one in 3D last week was incredible but today's ultrasound was by far the most amazing thing we have ever seen!  Since the purpose of today's scan was to take measurements and make sure everything is developing properly, we got to see her up on the screen for a long time and got a very in depth look at her entire little body.  We saw detailed views of her brain, got to count all 10 fingers and all 10 toes, saw the chambers of her heart, saw her bladder and two little kidneys, her amazing little spine, her sweet face, and even counted the blood vessels in the umbilical cord!  Everything measured perfectly and she is right on schedule!  Thank you, Jesus! :)  Even though I felt deep down that all was well, I have been a little worried leading up to this appointment.  We both felt so relieved to see that there are no obvious problems with her.  I have been emotional all day just thinking about how God has blessed us and answered our prayers.  We are so very grateful!

During the scan, the tech noticed a possible problem with the placenta placement.  It is positioned at the bottom where it is partially covering my cervix so I have been diagnosed with placenta previa.  In lots of cases, it will move up on its own as the uterus grows but it is something they will have to watch closely because it can cause some complications in later pregnancy.  They'll do another ultrasound when I go back in 4 weeks to see how it looks.  At that time they'll also try to get a good look at the blood flowing in and out of our baby girl's heart since she was moving around way too much this morning for them to get a clear view of that.  In the meantime, I'm supposed to take it very easy.  I'm not on bed rest or anything yet, I'm just supposed to avoid lifting, any kind of pulling or pushing, and no strenuous activities.  Although the risks in later pregnancy are kind of scary, I'm not worried now because they said there is a very good chance of it correcting itself in the coming weeks.  That's what we'll be praying for!

Now that we know for sure it's a girl, we've decided on a name.... Lucy Elizabeth LaRosa!  I had a short list of girl names that I liked but Lewis loved Lucy from the first time I brought it up and through his persistence, I've fallen in love with it too.  It's actually after my mom - her middle name is Lucille and everyone in her family calls her LuLu.  We chose Elizabeth after his grandmother - her name was actually Betty but we liked the formal Elizabeth better for a middle name.  We love being able to finally call her by name instead of just saying "the baby" all the time. 

Now for some pictures:  

The classic 3 lines - it's definitely a girl!                          

This is a side view in 3D. Her hand is on her head and her little legs are stretched out.

We finally got a profile shot of her little face today!

Sweet little feet

Lucy waving hello!

She had her legs stretched out and crossed for part of the scan each time. So cute!

We love our sweet little Lucy already and absolutely can not wait to meet her in 4 months! :)

17 weeks!

Well, I'm 17 weeks now and the morning sickness is finally starting to subside - for real this time!  I've only gottten sick a couple of times in the past week!  I can't tell you how happy I am to finally feel better after 4 months of puking.  Thank you, God!

We had our monthly OB appointment this morning.  It was short and sweet and we were in and out of there in less than 30 minutes.  No ultrasound this time but she listened for the baby's heartbeat and we were able to hear it loud and clear.  :)  It was supposed to be the first time we've heard it but I have to admit that we've been cheating and listening to it at home with a fetal doppler heart monitor we ordered from Amazon for around $60.  It is awesome!  I usually just listen for about a minute or two each night and let me tell you, hearing that little heart beating gives me so much comfort and makes us both feel so connected to that little life growing in there.  You can even hear when the baby moves because it makes a swooshing noise like water moving around.  Amazing!  I don't think I've actually felt the baby move yet although there have been a couple of times where I've felt something I wasn't sure about.  I can't wait to actually feel it and know what it is without a doubt.  Shouldn't be long now!

We go back in 3 weeks for the BIG ultrasound where they do the anatomy scan and we find out whether we are having a boy or girl!  I am so excited to finally know one way or the other!!!

Wishful Thinking and the Name Game

Okay, so the morning sickness is better than it was a few weeks ago but definitely not gone.  I guess it was wishful thinking on my part.  Boo!!  At least I have good days mingled in with the bad ones now and I definitely have more energy.  I really can't complain about the morning sickness since I know our baby is healthy and that's all that matters.  Plus, Lewis has been spoiling me shamelessly so that's an added bonus.  :) 

I am 15 weeks now!  I can hardly believe how fast it's going by now that I feel less anxiety about it all.  I finally feel ready to get serious about names and nursery ideas. :)  I think I was still a little too scared before this point but the last few days, it's all I can think about!  I've actually started having trouble sleeping at night because I feel anxious about all the plans and decisions we still need to make for the baby.  Lewis and I have been working on baby names and I have to say, it's much harder than I thought it would be.  We've managed to avoid actual arguments but it's a little frustrating at times.  Lewis is pretty open when it comes to girl names but VERY picky when it comes to boys.  Hopefully, once we know whether it's a boy or girl we'll have an easier time.  (This is what I keep telling myself anyway!)  I've gots lots of ideas for nurseries but I can't make a decision on that either until we find out the sex.  Luckily, we should know next month and then the real fun can begin!

On a different note, I have a new prayer request.  Please keep Lewis's sister Sara and her husband Tim in your prayers in their journey to become parents.  They have been going through fertility treatment and are currently doing their first round of IVF.  It is a very tough process and poor Sara has been giving herself multiple injections a day and experiencing some rough side effects.  The good news is that the actual transfer will be done next week and then two weeks later, they may find out they are pregnant and the rollercoaster will all be worth it! :)    

Goodbye morning sickness??

I really hope I'm not speaking too soon but after 7 weeks of being really sick with morning sickness that lasted all day, I think it may be easing up! Thank the Lord!  I only threw up once Thursday and not at all Friday!  Today, hasn't been quite as event free.  I got sick shortly after lunch and I've been really nauseated all day long with a pretty bad headache on top of it.  I've taken Tylenol and tried cold packs and naps but it's still there.  My pregnancy book says to expect more headaches this trimester so I guess it's nothing unusual.  Still, it's a huge improvement from throwing up 4-5 times a day so I'll take it! :)

We had another OB appointment Thursday.  We didn't end up hearing the baby's heartbeat yet but we knew it was still early for that so we weren't too disappointed.  We were pleasantly surprised though when she said she was going to do another quick ultrasound to take a look at the baby.  It was a small portable machine this time and it didn't print so we don't have new pictures but we got to see the baby very clearly on the screen.  I could definitely tell the baby has grown and it's little spine was more defined.  It was sleeping at first, positioned on it's side again like last time.  Then, it kicked it's little leg out and flipped over on it's back!!  It was so awesome!  This was our first time seeing a profile view and it was so cute!  Once it was on it's back, it kept moving it's little arms and legs after that and our doctor said it was dancing for us.  I can't tell you how happy and excited we were!  Lewis is the sweetest father-to-be and has been so interested in every detail about our baby's development.  I think seeing it moving around made it as real for him as it did for me when I saw it the first time.  Nothing I've ever seen or experienced compares.  Everyone keeps telling us that this is really only the beginning and I know that's true.  We are on cloud 9 and so excited for all the amazing things to come!!!

HELLO, 2ND TRIMESTER!!!

We reached a huge milestone this week and reached the end of the first trimester!!!  I am still puking a few times a day but just knowing that the risk of miscarriage is now less than 1% makes me feel like dancing!  (Of course, I tried a little dancing at school yesterday and ended up losing my lunch so that's maybe not such a great idea! Ha!) 

This morning, noon, and night sickness is no joke.  The last few weeks have been pretty brutal.  I've been told by lots of people that it should start easing up now and even my doctor said it will hopefully get better in a week or two.  Of course, I've also heard all the lovely stories of ladies who are sick the entire pregnancy so, who knows?  As long as that little baby is healthy, I can handle it.  In fact, I'm actually getting good at puking if that's possible.  I know it can hit me at any time so I've learned to be prepared.  I've only thrown up on myself a couple of times - the worst of which was driving home from a work party.  Driving home the last few miles covered in my own vomit was as gross as it sounds.  Needless to say, I now carry a vessel dedicated to that purpose with me at all times.  The good news is that I'm off for the summer and I have the next 8 weeks where I don't have to get up at 5:30 as sick as can be and try to get showered and dressed.  That's a huge blessing.  I think nice, liesurely mornings may be just what I need because I stayed in bed until 9 today and then took it easy on the couch after breakfast and it's almost 3 pm and I haven't thrown up yet.  Not bad!  We're going on a date tonight, dinner and a movie.  I have a huge craving for a Ted's bison burger so Lew is taking me there.  It's the first real food I've wanted in a while so I hope I keep it down -  at least through the movie!   

Want to see why I'm so okay with all this puking?  Take a look at the pics of our ultrasound from May 12th!  Notice the sweet little hands and feet and our baby's beautiful face turned towards you.  The first picture shows it touching it's face.  Pretty awesome, right???  And the best part was I got to see it moving around like crazy!  It literally took my breath away when I saw that and I cried like a baby.  I only wish Lewis could have been there with me so that he could have seen it. :(  Of course, our next ultrasound will show even more development and more movement and he'll be there then.  We actually go back to the doctor this Thursday and should be able to hear the heartbeat for the first time.  We feel so blessed to be experiencing this and I start to cry every time I stop and think about it.  Thank you God for this amazing gift!!