Starting to show!

The only full length mirror I have is at work....so you get what you get. But, I feel like I'm starting to look pregnant :-) 20.5 weeks...more than half way done!

Weekend Fun

Well, Friday we went to have to the echo cardiogram done on Grace. There were no abnormalities seen on the test. So that is definite praise...one less thing to worry about :-)

Then over the weekend we decided to do some shopping for Grace. It's more fun to focus on shopping then on medical concerns. So we hit some estate sales on Saturday. IT WAS SO HOT!!! and of course none of the houses had air conditioning. Nothing like climbing through someones cluttered house with a lot of other people on a hot summer day :-) We did find a couple of things though. We got her a stocking holder (for a Christmas stocking) and an old copy of the Velveteen Rabbit. We also found a good deal on a nice dresser. I love finding old wooden furniture at estate sales. The are always real wood and so much cheaper than the particle board stuff you find today. The dresser wouldn't fit in our little Honda (we didn't even try). So, our very nice Pastor and friend, Dan, will be going out with James tonight to pick it up in his much larger vehicle. So nice to have friends with large vehicles :-)

Then we decided to take advantage of some diaper sales and coupons we had at the grocery store. We filled a cart just with diapers and wipes. The cashier asked us how many children we have..... "None, why??" We figured while we'd build up our stock a little at a time...spread out the expenses.

I think this was the most expensive personal grocery shopping trip I've ever had. (I'm sure I've spent more shopping for Hall Council or RAs during my days in Res Life...but that wasn't my money).

But it was fun seeing how much we saved on the receipt!

Fetal Echocardiogram

I was assured that the ultra sounds have looked completely normal, but my ob told me to schedule a fetal echocardiogram. I have it scheduled for Friday. I'm nervous that something will be wrong with Grace's heart, but mostly I'm excited to see Grace on ultra sound again :-) From my understanding it is a powerful ultrasound machine that zooms in on the heart and will be performed by a fetal cardiologist. I guess if there is something wrong, knowing now is the best.

But my prayer is that Grace will continue to grow healthy and not have any complications.

I have a friend who says that I'm going to be a pregnancy expert after this as I've had every test possible. I'm thinking she's right :-)

James is coming with me on Friday. He's been there for every ultra sound, about 1/2 the ob appointments, and even came with me for some of the tests...what a good husband :-)

Gracie Grace

I've taken to calling her Gracie Grace...no idea why. Before we knew, we would ask her..."are you a Gracie Grace or a Pauly Paul." Paul was going to be the name for a boy baby. So anyways, she's a Gracie Grace.

I've been pretty tired lately. Well, I've been tired for the last 18 weeks or so, but a good friend's mother has been in the ICU and we've been spending time at the hospital. It's emotionally draining as well. Her mother past away this morning. I'm sad for my friend, and I'm sad because I'll miss her too.

I'm also going to have a specialized ultra sound on the baby called a fetal echocardiogram. I have it scheduled for next Friday (June 25). All of the regular ultra sounds have been normal, so we are praying this one is too. It will be neat to watch her heart really close up.

A regular monthly ob appointment is this Friday as well. My life is turning into a series of appointments.

Team Pink

It's a girl!! Her name is Grace. It's very exciting for all of us. our families are boy heavy...so everyone wanted a girl...I'm glad I didn't let them down :-/ I would have been happy either way...my mom and grandma...I'm not so sure ;-)

More ultra sound photos! I love this profile shot. You can make out her eye...nose...cheek...mouth. I think she is already the cutest thing!

In this next one it totally looks like she is smiling :-)

And of course you have to get the thumb sucking shot!

One More Day

One more day to our big ultra sound! We are so praying for a perfectly healthy baby. I think I've been feeling movements here and there...so that is a good sign :-) They ultra sound tech will scan all of the organs and check for abnormalities; so, we will get a good sense if everything is going well. And the Big News...BOY or GIRL!! I don't really have a guess. At the beginning I was leaning towards thinking it was a boy, but then lately I've been thinking it's a girl. But, I have a lot of people in my life who want a girl...so I don't know if I'm influenced by them :-/ Hopefully by this time tomorrow, we will know :-)

We are also going out the Babies R Us tomorrow to look at some cribs and start a registry. Yay fun stuff!

I was also looking at our hospital's web site today and scheduled our birthing center tour. It's not until September, but I thought it was fun to do.

Our Miracle Baby

After 4 and 1/2 years of struggling with infertility...we are expecting our little one :-) We had prayed for, cried over, loved, and missed our child for years. In our weakness and doubt, God was faithful...Great is HIS faithfulness! In recent months, we felt like we were to stop the fertility treatments (that are overwhelming and pricey) and move towards adoption. We chose an agency and were working through the application process when we found out that I was pregnant--all on our own (not as a result of a treatment). I'll save you the medical details (e-mail me privately if you really want to know), but basically we were told that without intervention it was a medical impossibility for us to concieve. But now I'm just about 18 weeks pregnant :-) We've had some struggles (it has not been easy so far), and that is why we haven't been very public with the information. But this weekend we have our 18-20week ultra sound and if all seems well from that, we are going to share the news with everyone. We'll also hopefully know the gender of our little one. We are looking forward to proper pronoun use and getting the nursery ready :-)

Here are some of the first baby pics.... The first one is when we had our pregnancy confirmed. The baby is 8 weeks along. What looks like wings are either the hand buds or feet buds forming. We had this done on Good Friday--and a Good Friday it was!

This 2nd one was taken at an emergency ultra sound at 11 weeks. You can see the profile of the baby looking up. S/he is waving his/her hand in front of her/his face. This is my favorite image to date.

This final image is from a 13 week ultra sound. It was a test where they are looking for some genetic abnormalities, but all was well. James thinks this one looks like a sock monkey. I was having a contraction during the ultra sound, hence the lump the baby is laying on.

I'll have more to update after this weekend!

Our prayer for today "Lord, we praise You and thank YOU for this amazing miracle! Please be with the health of our little one. Let it continue to grow well and be safe. Lord be with our hearts. Keep doubts and fear out and fill our hearts with YOUR peace. In Jesus name I pray. Amen"