20 weeks - Halfway there!

I had my 20 week checkup today. We did an ultrasound video again, but it's not nearly as exciting (just a bunch of measurements) so I'll upload it later and post it here.

Baby had her hands up in front of her face so we couldn't get a look at her! But, I had though that this would be my last ultrasound. The doctor told me that insurance companies usually don't want to pay for more ultrasounds, but they like to get a good look at the baby around 30 weeks again. So, he said, they try their best to find medical reasons to go back and look! But here's a good problem: he said so far I'm doing so well they're really gonna have to look hard for a good reason for another ultrasound if things stay so good.

Which is a good problem for sure! There's a certain level of pride you get when you're pregnant -- and things just keep going so well. All my tests have come back great. Baby is great, looks like there's no defects. She's measuring perfectly. The doctor even said my cervix was so strong that I could be donor. (Obviously he was joking, but he said they like to see them around 30mm, mine was 42mm!) But there's just such a prideful feeling, that I never thought I'd experience, about having kids. Especially when your body is doing such a terrific job at it. Pregnancy has made me realize, on a completely new level, how devestating miscarriage and still births must be. It's easy as an outsider to say, "You had no control, it just wasn't meant to be." But to a pregnant woman it's a completely personal and shameful experience.

People have healthy babies all the time, yes. But on my pregnancy boards and the in the books you read about pregnancy, you realize how much can go wrong. And many of the due in August ladies have had little worries, whether it's bleeding down there, baby isn't measuring right, heartbeat funky, a messed up Quad Screen or AFP. Mine has been completely uneventful, and I have few worries.

Of course, I have 20 more weeks for things to change. And to gain more weight. Today at the doctor's office I weighed in a little over for the first time. I've gained 3 lbs so far! That's not bad for half way through! My uterus is above my belly button too. Last appointment, at 16 weeks I was an inch below!


Oh, and one last little detail, it's 100% a girl. That 5% chance of being a boy from last time has been wiped out. Yay!

Flutters and Flatulence

I now feel baby Eisley on a daily basis. Stronger and stronger all the time! I wouldn't describe it like "butterflies fluttering" though, as most people say. It just feels like muscle twitches. Or sometimes it just feels exactly like a baby moving in your tummy. Simple as that.

Flatulence is pretty common these days too... lol.

So I was thinking last night about how far I've come already! I'm just about half way through my pregnancy. What's crazy to think is that in about 4.5 weeks, the baby could *possibly* survive outside the womb. That's crazy. I don't want that to happen, obviously. But it wouldn't be too shabby if my pregnancy was cut back by a couple weeks. That I wouldn't mind.

I have another ultra sound on Monday! And as long as things keep going well, it will probably be my last one for the pregnancy.

Remember when my baby was just a bean? A little heartbeat flickering on the screen?


And here we could see her little arms at 12 weeks, looking half baby - half fetus.


And now here she was 4 short weeks ago! This is from the ultrasound video:


See how she's grown? They grow up way too fast! Now I can't wait to see her again on Monday, we'll get a lot of pictures of her.

Do we *really* need anymore Aidens in this world???

I guess my job makes me super sensitive to the most common names. There are those days where I have 5 or 6 Jacksons or Olivias. But you know how many Jennifers we have in this world? Think of all the stars: Jennifer GARNER, LOPEZ, LOVE-HEWITT, CONNOLLY, ANNISTON, and ALL those Jennifers in your graduating high school class (if you were born in the late 70s or 80s). Really? Do we need anymore Jennifers?

So I took a look at the top baby name list for 2007. For boys, the top names were:
Aiden, Braeden, and Caden. Jayden was #7, but in '06 it was #4! COME ON PEOPLE! For girls, of course, the top names include Ava, Abby, Madison, and Emma.

I LIKE all those names! They're nice names! But when 75% of the population has that name, and because of the fact that I grew up Heather E. my entire life, I just can't bring myself to name my kids that. And to be quite honest, I admit it's not my business what you name your kids. But I *wish* there weren't SO MANY Emmas.

Can't we get a little more creative people? And so if you're wondering why I picked "different" sounding names -- you should be thanking me for not naming my kid Emma or Aiden!

Eisley will do quite nicely, I should think. It's not even in any baby names books.

On a final note to my rant. Let me just put this our there for all the pregnant women in the world! Be nice to us! Be considerate and realize that we're really not "normal" people during our pregnancies. I'm specifically sending this plea out to the mom at work last week who sat her DISGUSTINGLY POOPY DIAPER CHILD down in my chair and declared, "Oh! You're pretty stinky! Oh well, we'll change you after your haircut." THANKS for depriving me of oxygen for about 15 minutes there lady! But hey, pregnant women don't need to breathe, do they??? Hopefully my baby didn't suffer brain damage because I was trying not to use my super-human-pregnancy-smelling abilities on your child's fecal matter smell while cutting your little stink bomb's hair!

Okay. Again, I know it's a rant. But I kinda miss the "lost art" of child rearing that involves NOT presenting your children with snotty nosed, peanut-butter and jelly faces and poopy diapers to strangers. What?! You mean, not *everyone* automatically thinks your child is the adorable angel that you do? Imagine that!

I can't wait to be a mom. Lol.

Confessions of a Preggo

You get pregnant, and you get it from all sides- that is, the DO's and DON'T's of pregnancy! There are a trillion things that seem off-limits to pregnant women. But honestly, many of them are a little extreme. So, yes, I'll confess! I've been a naughty preggo because...

- I've had a few glasses of wine. FEW and far between.
- I take hot baths (although my doc did okay this as long as it was below 105 degrees after the 1st trimester)
- I eat/drink caffine products regularly.
- I lay on my back (???) Justin told me one of my pregnancy books says not to lay on your back because you could cut off blood flow to the baby. Never heard that one, but it's cute that he reads my pregnancy books!
- I've had some deli meat and soft cheese here and there. So sue me.
- I play the pregnancy card. "No honey I can't clean the toilets, they'll make me puke."


Aren't I bad? But honestly, you're only pregnancy for the first time once! Live it up :)

All Things Girly

Okay, I admit it! I'm so glad I'll be getting "my girl". :-) There was always a little bit of anxiety in the back of my mind about having ALL boys. Okay, more than a little, a LOT. There are so many things I want to do with girls!

ballet classes

girlie birthday parties

pigtails


Doesn't it look like FUN!?!

Here's some clothes I've indulged in already, although I use the word "indulged" lightly because... well, I just that I could buy a whole outfit or dress for less than $5! The newborn ballerina slippers just make me want to SCREAM they're so adorable.

Planning for Baby's (and our) Future

The reality that Justin and I are going to be parents soon is hitting us, and making me think in ways I've never thought before. It's made me realize, we've GOT to plan for our family's future.

Advice from my parents and grandparents, and seeing some of their successes and trials they've encountered have taught me lessons that I have to deal with sooner than later.

According to CNN.com, insurance rates are at historic lows. It's also common knowledge that when you're young and healthy -- that's prime time to buy into life insurance.

Being pregnant has also made me realize this: if something happened to Justin (God forbid) what would happen to me now that I have someone else to care for? It's not just me anymore. Likewise, if something happened to me, how would Justin manage? I'd really like to have the comfort and assurance that we'll be okay.

Going even further than that, what if we both died? It's not something I like to think about, but now with our daughter on the way, I want to make sure she's taken care of. We'll have to look into trust funds and figure out guardian(s)...

Since we have a house, now we need to have a will drawn up too. So we have a lot to get sorted out right now. But it's something really important to me, and I want to have a plan worked out before August.

We'll try and get a package for life insurance in both our cases-- with each other as beneficiaries and our daughter & guardians in the case of something happening to both of us. We're going to get disability, because if something happened to either of us that prevented us from working-- I need to know we'll be okay. Long term healthcare is important too, so that if and when we need help living, we'll be able to afford it. A trust set up for our kids so that her guardians can't squander all our money, lol. And a will, so that our possessions will be handed out according to our wishes.

It's a big task! Hopefully we'll get this daunting list sorted out soon.

IT'S A...........

baby!
No seriously, had my 16 week checkup today and got an ultrasound! Mom and Justin came along, it was very good to see my little baby again. And yes, we found out that it's 95% likely to be --- well, we could just tell you, but it'd be more fun for you to watch:
(turn it up, can be hard to hear the technician's guess. If you can't hear, look in the comments below to see what it is)
16 Week Ultrasound- Gender Determination

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