17 Weeks!

 "At five and a half inches long and five ounces in weight, she now may be large enough for you to feel her twisting, rolling, kicking, and punching her way around the womb. Plus, she's developing yawning and hiccupping skills (you may feel those soon, too!) and her own unique set of toe and fingerprints."

Wow - time is flying! I have been feeling really great lately and am enjoying every minute of being pregnant. I have started to feel a lot more movement over the past week and am looking forward to the day when Andy can feel her too! It sounds so crazy to actually be able to say "her" now!

My time has been pretty consumed lately with daydreams of our future nursery. I can't wait to get started on it! Our goal is to have everything finished by the beginning of December, because once the holidays are here, we will have no time! My work schedule is very hectic in January and February and I think it will be nice not to have to worry about getting the nursery set up when I am so consumed with work.

I have also started narrowing down which kind of stroller, car seat, high chair, etc. we would like. No one warns you about how confusing this all is! There are 500 different choices for each product - how do you know if you are making the right choice? Luckily, I have a few friends who are going through this with me, so they have been very helpful!

I'll leave you with a picture of our little girl's closet - at this rate, I think we are going to have a mini fashionista on our hands! ;)

It's a GIRL!!!

My hump, my hump, my lovely lady bump!

Since about week 11, my "baby bump" has been pretty noticeable - to me at least! I think it is one of the most exciting things about being pregnant. Seeing your body change and grow to make enough room for your baby is an incredible experience.

This Friday I have my 16 week checkup and we are also finding out if we are having a boy or girl!!! I am so excited, anxious and nervous that I can hardly stand it! I am so ready to start planning the nursery and stocking the closet with either cute girly dresses and headbands or baby polo shirts and plaid shorts. Is it crazy that I am already planning our baby's outfits?

Another exciting development is that I have been feeling a lot of little taps and movement over the past week. It is definitely making all of this seem a lot more real!

 Well, without further ado, here are some pictures of my ever-expanding bump:

 

12 weeks

 13 weeks

 13 weeks

 15 weeks

I can't believe that next time I post I will know if "Baby L" is a sweet little girl or a handsome little boy!

And Baby Makes Three!

  

Andy and I are so incredibly excited to announce that we are expecting a new addition to our family! Baby "L" will make his or her debut on March 9, 2012. The picture below is from our 12 week 4 day ultrasound. Baby measured right on track and we were able to hear a strong heartbeat of 154 bpm. We are so in love! 

 

I have been incredibly lucky over the past 12 weeks and have experienced no morning sickness! I was a little tired (and always hungry) in the very beginning, but now I feel pretty much back to my normal self. As of tomorrow, I will be in my second trimester - a milestone that I have been looking forward to very much!

Baby "L" has been through quite a lot already in a very short amount of time:

1. A vacation to Maine and the "Easternmost Point in the U.S.A"

2. A quick visit to Canada

3. A bachelorette party

3. A three-day work trip to D.C. which included visits to The White House and Capitol Building

3. A 10-day work trip to Baltimore

4. A 5.8 magnitude earthquake!!!

5. Hurricane Irene!!!

WOW! What a crazy 12 weeks!

I have tomorrow off from work, so I am looking forward to a very relaxing four-day Labor Day weekend.

My next routine check up is next Friday - Andy's birthday! I don't have an ultrasound, but we will get to hear baby's heartbeat on the doppler. We can't wait! Keep checking back because I will update this blog as often as I can so that I can share our incredible journey with all of you!