***3rd Trimester***

27 week belly!!!

Another milestone! We have officially crossed over into the third trimester...and I'm still feeling wonderful. Although I KNOW I will continue to feel more uncomfortable, kicking will become less exciting and labor ultimately prevails in the end, I still feel fantastic right now so I'm making the most of it!!

We went to the doctor today and it was all good news! My blood pressure was good and actually relatively low compared to normal. I haven't gained anymore weight which they were okay with since Noah is measuring right on for week 28. And I took the glucose test...ya know what, the orange stuff wasn't half bad. The worst part was when the mean vampire-lady drew lots of blood, we don't like the lady who draws blood...but it's a necessary evil. And she's really not mean at all...

According to my trusty books, Noah is a little over 2 pounds now and about 9.5 inches long from crown to rump. I would have to agree with one of the books when it said there is always a point during pregnancy that the mom is convinced she is carrying an octopus because there's definintely a flurry of activity happening and it makes you wonder if there really are just two arms and two legs! I was telling the nurse today that I was concerned about how his movements have changed in the past couple of days, it felt like he was lying really low and I wasn't getting any good kicks. She decided to hook me up to a fetal monitor for about 20 minutes since they were waiting for the magic glucose potion to do its thing before drawing blood anyway...so, I got to spend time watching Noah's little heart rate and fetal movement get tracked on a maching that looked much like the Seismograph used to record earthquakes. It was neat!

I also read that he will open his eyes sometime between this week and next...how exciting!!!

I've moved up to visiting the doctor every two weeks now instead of three so it feels like time is starting to snowball upon us very quickly!

In other updates...the Louisville Christian Church ladies group is throwing me a baby shower tomorrow night...the nursery walls are looking cuter and cuter everyday...and we start child birth classes a week from Monday!

And my belly button is not so much an "inny" or an "outty" anymore...it is really more of a "flatty" at the moment...and it's getting harder for me to see everyday...so are my toes!

Why I'm Excited to be a Mom...

First, I'll get to experience the feeling all moms talk about but can never fully explain...actually holding your very own child that you carried for 9 months...getting to finally see his little hands and feet for the first time, hear his coo's and look into his eyes...

Getting to know that little one, with all the different cries, expressions and preferences better than anyone else...

Dreaming of what my son will grow up to be, his interests, talents and passions...

Providing for, caring for, loving, admiring and praying for him every moment of every day as he grows and grows...

Watching Tony become a daddy!!!
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My registry is complete and the nursery is underway. Tony is SO excited to unleash his creativity and paint Noah's room, it is going to look phenomenal! Today was probably the most active Noah has been so far, growth spurt or energy increase, I'm not sure, but it is still the most amazing thing! I love it!! We are a little less than two weeks away from my third trimester and God has just continued to bless Noah's growth and my health beyond belief. We are so grateful to be approaching the next milestone in my pregnancy.

My last Dr.'s appt had all good things to report...Noah has a strong heartbeat, everything measures right on, we won't talk about the scale, thyroid levels are perfect and I go for my glucose test the first week of September!

And the most amazing news of all...my belly button remains an "inny", not by much, though. I so thought I was joining the "outty" club like a month ago...he's a growing boy!!!

All is as it should be...

Not much to update on at the moment...all is well and Noah is growing like crazy!! I think I have said that a lot since I started this blog, but I mean it more and more everytime I say it. Experts say he is now about 8 or so inches long and a little over a pound in weight. His kicking is less of a random thumping now and more of actual limbs jabbing at me from inside. It's the greatest feeling!

I am going to register this Saturday morning with my mom and Tony's mom, so that will be lots of fun. Tony has officially banned me from the Babies R Us & Target websites because it's becoming my new obsession to be ready for baby registry day!! And despite the countless hours I have spent researching and shopping, and, of course, making a checklist, there are still many decisions left to be made. And the best part is, I actually had a dream two nights ago that Babies R Us just let me spend the night in the store because I still had so many decisions to make...pretty pathetic...

We also received our first big gift, only because there was free shipping, but my mom & Randy officially bought us our Travel System! It is so awesome, we love it! I just stared into the carrier once we had it all together and tried to imagine my little guy all snug in the car seat...the reality of a baby coming into our family gets more real with every passing day!!

Random Updates...

We had our 21 week ultrasound this past week and the grandma's came along to see their little grandson wiggle around...no, it didn't fall off...it's really still a boy!! He was very active during the ultrasound, I think he knew we were watching. It was truly adorable. His heartbeat was 143, he is weighing in at 15 oz. and everything seems A-OK and right on target. Praise the Lord!

I was afraid I was never going to be able to fully recognize his kicking...boy was I wrong. There is no mistaking those little baby movements, and Tony has had the opportunity to feel a few...he just has to be patient and wait until Noah is ready to play. But he is getting more and more active everyday...it's still cute, not painful yet.

Tony and I enjoyed a night our at the Carousel Dinner Theater the other night, which was a lot of fun! And we just got done with Vacation Bible School, marking the end of our summer craziness. That means it is on to nursery remodeling, baby registries, childbirth classes, baby shower and preparing for Noah's arrival! I'm excited but definitely enjoying every minute of being pregnant...what an absolute blessing!!!

Here is our latest family photo...

Mommy & her Noah Bump

Future Place Kicker for the Louisville Leopards

20 Week Belly!!!

We've made it, we are officially halfway through the pregnancy and feeling good!! Noah gave me his first good kick yesterday while I was sitting at my desk at work, it tickled and I laughed out loud. It was so cute. It felt like he was turning back flips and using my stomach to propel himself around, I definitely got tears in my eyes. But then again, I got tears in my eyes the other day because of a commercial with a baby elephant giving itself a bath that I thought was the cutest thing I had ever seen. Gotta love pregnancy hormones!

We go for our 21 week ultrasound this coming Tuesday, hopefully we will get some more good pictures to post and I'm hoping he still measures at a due date of November 28th because I feel like he's getting big very quickly these days...and labor is inevitable so, yikes! We'll see!

I feel like such the mommy today, we received confirmation for our childbirth classes and I registered Noah with his pediatrician. Everyday it is becoming more real that very soon I will be holding my son in my arms...how amazing!!

Ultrasound Pictures

Here are just a few ultrasound pictures, none of which show a full body view, but they are still pretty neat.

Noah's hand

Noah's foot

Noah's feet...he actually had his little ankles crossed

in this picture.

It's a BOY!!!

So after spending 5 very long hours in the Aultman Hospital emergency room this past Monday evening, I've decided I'm going to enjoy every second between now and the delivery of my son...that was the newest traumatic experience of my short life! I've never had the opportunity to be poked and prodded so many times within a single visit to the doctor...but one thing I am sure of...they did a thorough examination, and, in the doctor's words, "Everything is perfect!"

I decided my second episode of bleeding unexpectedly, which was what sent us to the ER, was God's way of preparing me for what labor will be like...besides the fact that I was not contracting. Although I'm fairly certain contractions should distract me from any other unwanted poking or prodding pretty easily.

Needless to say, we are diligently praying that this was the LAST of the scary episodes with our little one and that pregnancy will be smooth sailing from here on out...

We had a follow-up appointment this past Wednesday and his little heartbeat was 158 and all is well. We will still have our 21 week ultrasound, even though we already know what we are having, just to make sure the delivery date still matches and the baby is still developing normally.

And, yes, you read the title right, Tony is PROUD to let everyone know that he successfully gave us a SON!! So, there was good news that came out of our recent unexpected trips to the doctor. He gave a resounding, "YES!!!" when the ultrasound tech announced what we were having...so I guess we know how he really feels about that! We couldn't be more excited, it's so great to be able to call our little one by name, to know we are having a son and...for mommy, who likes to plan, to be able to pick out nursery themes/colors finally!!

So, for now...mommy waits anxiously for the first good kick from Noah Anthony...should be any day now!!!