22 weeks and 1 day ...

Past the halfway mark to seeing our little one ... time is starting to fly by!!!! Can not wait to meet him/her <3

Peek-A-Boo!

Yesterday at 19wk2d my husband and I had our medical ultrasound. It was emphasized to us at the beginning of the ultrasound that this was for diagnostic purposes and not to ask ANY questions. This chick took her job very seriously. Took some of the fun out of it but it was still so amazing to see our little one!!! AND both of us are pretty sure we saw little boy parts!!! :) We are having a paid elective ultrasound April 30th and we'll find out then for sure how good we are at reading ultrasounds ...lol.

Amazing day ... and almost halfway there!!!

The Big Sister ....

Marley is our first baby and she was proud to tell our families that she's going to be a big sister! We let her wear her shirt on Christmas eve to tell my side of the family. Brian's family found out with a onesie from the Gap mentioned in a previous post.

Here she is in her little shirt :)

A beautiful sound!!

Is that you little one?

I keep feeling a funny little sensation in my belly (well obviously not my belly but sounds much cuter than ute). It's as if there's a little fish in there releasing bubbles. Since this is my first baby I have no idea what first movements feel like .. but this has been going on now for a few days. Being 15wks3d I know it's early but what is it then??? I can't wait until I feel strong, reassuring kicks from my little one.

152

152. My new favourite number. My new favourite number because it's the rate that my baby's heart was beating today when my husband and I heard it in the doctor's office for the first time :) I thought I would cry but instead I laughed. And for those of you who know me you know my laugh isn't a gentle girlie laugh. It's loud and kind of snorty. And it must have scared the little one because after that we couldn't hear it anymore. My husband and I were both giddy with excitement. Incredible moment.

Things are definitely changing with my body as well. Most of my shirts (including my scrub tops) are getting uncomfortably tight around the boobs. And I had to buy a Bella Band to help my pants feel a little better. I also bought a pair of maternity jeans because I feel I may need them soon. I hate feeling uncomfortable in my clothes. At first I was thinking 12 weeks was too early for maternity wear but as my husband said ... if I need it I need it.

A very exciting day :)

My Blessed Life

I have been so blessed to be surrounded by amazing friends my whole life. I often sit back and wonder "How am I so lucky?". I have so many people who would be by my side through anything --- and they have. Add to this list my 'Bump' friends. Friends I connected with online as we travel through our TTC journey. I have been awarded a blog award by one of these fabulous friends ... Papps from 'Our Arduous Journey' (http://greekgirlie.blogspot.com/). She is an amazing woman dealing with things no woman should have to. I think of her often and truly hope that this IUI is her BFP ::fingers tightly crossed::.

So on to the award .....

As a recipient I need to share 7 things about myself ... here goes ...

1 - I am the 3rd of 4 children. There is 6 years between the oldest and the youngest. Growing up with my siblings so close in age made it like our own little playgroup.

2 - I grew up in the country and at times we had farm animals. I truly think a country upbringing instills a lot of character in a child. I would love to raise my child on a farm :)

3 - My favorite color is red. In high school 85% of my sweaters/shirts were red.

4 - I have anxiety issues. I'm sure if I saw a therapist (which I often think I should!) I would be diagnosed with some sort of generalized anxiety disorder. My husband is the complete opposite - not a care in the world. We balance each other out.

5 - My dream job is a wedding planner.

6 - I am a Girl Guide leader for the Sparks age group.

7 - My favorite food is pizza - without a doubt.

And now for the second part of the award ... bestow it on other bloggers ... I think most of the blogs I follow have been mentioned but I love them so much I'm mentioning them again ....

Mchupie .... follow the story of her new born little girl!!

http://www.babymchupie.blogspot.com/

Sulfa .... a serious blogger in comparison to me. Make sure to check it out on Haiku Thursdays!!

http://leapingsulfa.blogspot.com/

Lyse .... mommy-to-be!!!

http://www.nothing-easy.blogspot.com/

Sarah ... another expecting mommy!

http://threedogsonebaby.blogspot.com/

And one of my favorite blogs ... 'Enjoying the Small Things' ...

http://www.kellehampton.com/

And we have a heartbeat ...

I was lucky to have an early ultrasound last week (unlucky to have it because of severe pain due to cysts but lucky all the same). Brian was right beside me during the ultrasound and we both witnessed the most beautiful sight .... the tiny flicker of our baby's heart. Incredible. Tears immediately poured from my eyes and I turned to Brian ... "Can you see it!??" ... but from the look on his face I already knew he could. Pure happiness was in that room that day. Happiness, extreme relief and overwhelming gratefulness for being able to share such a beautiful moment.

I have complained a lot about my cysts causing me problems ... but I thank them for last week for getting me an early ultrasound!!! :)

When will the calm come???

I sit here 8w1d pregnant and still so nervous. I keep waiting for something to happen. I have had 3 very small spotting episodes but they've been enough to rattle me. I find myself staying away from TheBump because I'm scared to see posts about loss, thinking that it could easily be me. It's weird how a site that provided so much comfort to me during the past year has now become a place that can make me so anxious. I sneak on and off every once in awhile to check on my fav peeps though ... I root for them, even if silently.

We have told our immediate family. Brian's family found out when his Mom opened the onesie that I posted below. "Best Gift Ever" .... perfectly said. We told my family by putting a homemade shirt on our little pup Marley that said "I'm gonna be a big sister". I wish I had a video of the reactions. It was awesome. I'm not ready to tell anyone else just yet.

I'm hoping that we can have an ultrasound soon and I can see a heartbeat. I think then I'll be able to relax. Here in Nova Scotia they don't send you for an ultrasound until 20 weeks (unless you are high risk) ... I can't wait that long. I need to see that little heartbeat so I can relax and begin to truly enjoy this pregnancy and make plans to bring this little one home!