20 Weeks!

You know what 20 weeks means, right? WE'RE HALFWAY THERE! :) This week seems like a huge milestone. I cannot believe that we have actually made it to the halfway mark and that in just 20 more weeks (give or take) we will have a sweet baby girl moving in with us.

In baby news, Little Girl Muir (f/k/a Baby M) now weighs in at around 10.5 ounces and is around 6.5 inches (crown to rump) or 10 inches (crown to heel). She is about the size of a canteloupe, which seems enormous - and trust me I can tell she is getting bigger. I feel like my "bump" is constantly getting larger and my clothes smaller. For the most part I have felt pretty good. The achiness in my abdomen is not awful and really only bothers me when I roll from side to side at night. I still haven't gained any weight, which Dr. Hodny doesn't seem worried about...so I'm still not complaining, but I imagine the pounds will start packing on soon enough. Speaking of packing on the pounds, I have been starving lately. Every time I eat I get full really quickly, so I don't eat much - but then an hour later, I'm hungry again! It's annoying, but I guess that's what happens when your belly is full of baby. :)

Bryant spent this past weekend deer hunting and working with their new hunting dog, Molly. It started snowing early Saturday morning so Belly & I stayed at home where it was warm. I did some deep cleaning and also worked on Little Girl Muir's room a little. I had my eye on a bedding set for awhile, so once we found out we were having a girl I went ahead and ordered it - it looks perfect in her room! I also put up some vinyl wall decals which are adorable - I will put up pictures soon. Her room is coming together quickly and it is really starting to seem real that soon we will no longer be a two person family! (But in the meantime, I am taking every opportunity I have to get a nap in!) :)

This coming weekend we are going to head to Kearney, NE with a group of friends to do some shopping and to go to a hockey game. It sounds like it's going to be alot of fun and I am really looking forward to getting out of town for a few days. We are pretty much done with Christmas shopping, so my shopping will likely revolve around the little girl that tumbles around in my belly all day! :)

We have definitely decided on a first name for Little Girl Muir, but are still working on her middle name. I promise I will post her full name as soon as the decision is made! :)

The bump at 20 weeks...


Bryant, Danielle, Belly & Little Girl Muir

That's right, Baby M is a sugar & spice, ribbons & curls, beautiful little girl! Bryant & I couldn't be more excited about the news and have already made our first baby girl purchases. :) I think we're going to have a spoiled one on our hands...but seriously, how can you resist all of those cute girl clothes!

The plan was that we were going to have the ultrasound tech write down whether it was a boy or girl in a card that we brought with us and seal the envelope so that we could look at it later when we were by ourselves. (Actually, we originally planned on opening it on Christmas Day...but I just didn't have the patience to wait FOUR MORE WEEKS!) Anyways, our plan kept evolving and eventually we decided that we would open the envelope after leaving the doctor's office at dinner and then we would go to this adorable baby store in Hays, Bella Luna, to make our first gender specific purchase. However, then we found out that Bella Luna would close shortly after my appointment and that we wouldn't be able to go after dinner, so again - our plan changed. So, what really ended up happening was during the sonogram we asked the tech to avoid showing us "the goods" and asked her to put the info in the card...we would wing it from there.

The sonogram was unbelievable, amazing, incredible, and any other adjective you could use to describe seeing one of the loves of my life for the first time! She moved around alot so we were able to see her wiggle her toes and toss her arms about. She kept covering her little face with her hands, which was adorable! The tech was great and showed us all the cute stuff - and the important stuff. It really is amazing how detailed the ultrasounds are...we were even able to see the blood pumping to and from her heart. The tech also let us know that she weighed 10 ounces, which means she is a little bigger than average (the books say a baby at 19 weeks should weigh around 8.5 ounces.) The whole process lasted around 30 minutes and the tech made sure to take lots of photos for us (including one pointing out whether it was a boy or girl! Which turned out to be a pretty clear shot! haha) Here are some of the pictures:




After the ultrasound I had my 3rd appointment with Dr. Hodny...this was the first time I actually had to wait past my appointment time and it took F.O.R.E.V.E.R.(Keep in mind the entire time we were waiting around we had the envelope that said what "it" was and decided we wouldn't look quite yet...) After we got in to see the doctor we did the normal checkup, weight/blood pressure/measure/heartbeat/etc. Everything looks healthy and we are growing as scheduled. During the ultrasound her heartbeat was 161 and during the appointment it was 144...so she must have calmed down by the time we got to the 2nd appointment.

After we FINALLY left the doctor's office (with sealed envelope in hand) we decided to torture ourselves a little more and wait until we were in front of Bella Luna to open the envelope. After we parked the car, I was dying to find out and we decided to rip the envelope open right there and see if we were going to be buying pink or blue! I held the envelope so that we could look at the same time...and there were the words "It's a girl! Congratulations!" I think we were both in shock for a second and then we started laughing, kissing, and hugging. We were both so excited and happy to find out that a little girl would be entering our lives in just a few short months!

We went to Bella Luna right away and were overwhelmed with the amount of adorably girly outfits. Everything from huge bows to tutus! :) We decided to just buy a few things, which included a pink football hair bow and a crocheted owl stocking cap. ADORABLE! We then went to dinner at Gella's and started making phone calls to our family and friends to spread the news.

The first person to find out was Aunt Whitney. Bryant announced that we were having a little girl by telling Whitney, "Well, it looks like Lyla is going to get a Remy!" (To explain this better...from the very beginning, we decided that if we had a girl we would name her Remy and if a boy it would be Owen. However, the other day I asked Bryant if we would definitely call her Remy or him Owen once we found out and he said no - so I figured we would still think about it once we found out. On the day of the ultrasound Whitney sent us a text that said, "Just so you know, Lyla says Remy way better than Owen.") In all of the excitement after finding out it was a girl - I hadn't even thought about what her name would be for sure, until I heard Bryant tell Whitney that Lyla was getting a Remy - so I guess that's it...our baby girl has a name! Well a first name at least...we still haven't decided on the middle name yet. :) Stay tuned for the name blog!

Anyways, to wrap up this incredibly long post, we couldn't be happier and am I so excited to finally be able to start making some decisions on our little GIRL'S room and prepare for her arrival! We are still waiting to hear back from Dr. Hodny to make sure that everything looked healthy from the ultrasound. He told us that the radiologist would look at it and let us know how everything turned out. He told us not to worry because if there was anything major that was wrong they would have called him right away. I'm anxious to hear back, but am optimistic that our beautiful little girl will be just fine! :)

Pink thoughts,

Bryant, Danielle & Belly

Happy Thanksgiving

We’re ALMOST halfway there! At 19 weeks, Baby M is the size of a mango – which makes him/her around 6 inches long and 8.5 ounces. I think this is the last week that Baby M is measured from crown to rump, so there will probably be a dramatic increase in how long Baby M is next week when he/she is measured from crown to toe. During this week my book tells me that the baby is developing a protective coating over his/her skin called vernix caseosa. It’s a greasy, cheese-like substance that keeps the baby’s skin protected while hanging out in amniotic fluid for 9 months. It sounds disgusting, but I’m sure it would be painful without it when the baby makes his/her debut.

In my next update I will no longer have to use he/she or his/her! We may also be able to drop the name “Baby M” soon as we pretty much have it narrowed down to what we will be naming the baby once we find out the gender…but no promises! :) We only have 2 days left until we find out what we are having…and I’m sure it will be the longest 2 days of my life. I am thankful that Thanksgiving was this week so that it made the time go a little faster – we also got our Christmas tree and decorations put up! This year we spent Thanksgiving at my parent’s house for both lunch and dinner – which were amazing, as usual! Everybody was home, except for Mandy and her family; she had to work on Thanksgiving Day in KC. We weren’t able to spend Thanksgiving with Bryant’s family this here either; they celebrated the holiday in Wichita. Unfortunately, Bryant had to work on Friday and today, so we couldn’t leave town. Hopefully we will be able to spend Christmas with both of our families this year though. It is crazy to think that next year during the holiday season we will be a family of THREE! :)

I have been feeling pretty good this past week – although my hips are starting to get a little sore from sleeping on my side and the round ligament pain is back. It’s not terrible pain, but it certainly doesn’t feel great. The nosebleeds have stopped for now, which I am also very thankful for.

Speaking of being thankful, this Thanksgiving I have been thinking about how thankful I am for just about everything. Bryant & I have been very blessed and couldn’t be happier right now. This has been a whirl-wind of a year, which sometimes makes it easy to forget how great our life really is, especially with Baby M on the way and a healthy pregnancy thus far. We recently heard a story about a little boy and watched a music video based on the little boy's life called “One Last Christmas.”

Here is a link to the story: http://www.matthewwest.com/2010/11/30/one-last-christmas

And here is a link to the music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye39mgcHC3E

It really puts everything in perspective and makes me appreciate our life even more. You should check it out…but make sure you have a box of Kleenex nearby!

Happy Thanksgiving

Bryant, Danielle & Belly

One More Week!

Only 1 week until our next baby appointment...7 days until Bryant & I find out if we are having a little boy or little girl...168 hours until we know if we will be decorating Baby M's room in pink or blue...10,080 seconds until...okay, you get the point! :) Seriously, I don't know how anybody can wait their entire pregnancy to find out what they are having!

For the update on Baby M, we are currently at 18 weeks...almost to the halfway point! Baby M is the size of a sweet potato. And, if the food reference doesn't give you a visual, Baby M is now around 7 ounces and is getting close to 6 inches long. Baby M's movements are becoming more and more noticeable and happen several times a day...in fact last night instead of the normal butterfly feeling, it felt like Baby M actually kicked me (more like a he/she flicked the inside of my stomach!) My books tell me that he/she is passing the time yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing...he/she is a busy little thing! I find it really amusing to think about something the size of a sweet potato kicking its little legs and arms... I also also hope that Baby M isn't suffering from the hiccups at all...hiccups are the w.o.r.s.t.

Last night Bryant & I finally got out of town and went to Hays for dinner and a movie! We ate at Gutierrez and watched Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. I had SUCH a great time and was so happy to spend some time away with my favorite person! :) I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving this week and having a couple of days off from work...hopefully I will be able to get our Christmas tree up on Friday! I have been DYING to put up Christmas decorations...it will also help the next week go by a little faster! Also, this will be the first time I haven't been studying for finals in many years so I am anxious to be able to just enjoy the holiday season. (I'm also really looking forward to be able to buy Baby M some Christmas presents once we know if it's a he or a she!) :)

Lots of love,

Bryant, Danielle & Belly

It Happened...It Finally Happened!

For the first time last night Bryant & I felt Baby M move! :) We were laying in bed and I was in the the middle of a sentence when I felt it...it stunned me and I couldn't even talk for a minute. Bryant finally asked why I didn't finish my sentence and I came back to reality and told him that I could feel our little poppy seed moving around - he put his hand on my belly right away and the second he touched me Baby M moved! I couldn't believe he could actually feel it this soon, but there was no mistaking it! It was the best feeling in the world - and of course it was almost impossible for me to fall asleep as I laid there forever waiting to feel him/her move around some more.

Today I have felt the little onion moving around occasionally and it is SO unbelievable! It feels like butterflies and is making it very hard for me to concentrate at work. It must be true that Baby M can hear my voice now, because I've been pleading with him/her to move for several days now...he/she must have gotten the message! Glad to know that Baby M has been listening to his/her mama! :)

Bryant, Danielle & Belly

P.S. I forgot to mention in my last post that Belly celebrated his birthday on Sunday. The old man is 4 years old...28 in dog years (my baby is officially older than me.) Even though he can't talk, I'm pretty sure he enjoyed the day which began with bacon for breakfast and ended with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert! :) He also worked in several naps throughout the day...

Seventeen

Baby M is now the size of an onion! Growing at rapid speed, Baby M now weighs around 5.9 ounces and is 5.1 inches long. His/her cartilage is now turning to bone and he/she is getting some meat on those bones (just in time for winter!) Everything I have been reading keeps assuring me that sooner than later I will feel the baby moving, but alas, I’m still waaaaaaaaaiting... Any day now Baby M...

Life has been pretty boring here lately. The highlight of this past week was that Bryant & I went out to eat at 183 Lanes...the bowling alley in town (in case you didn’t know). Now, I’m not complaining, it’s just very different from how we used to spend our evenings before moving to Stockton and before Baby M. Hopefully we will find some time to get out of town sooner than later, I think we both could use a date night! I would love to go to Denver this winter...but mostly I want to go so I can drink spiked hot chocolate and sit in a hot tub with snow on the ground at a ski resort...and since I can’t have alcohol, sit in hot tubs, or ski anytime soon, maybe we’ll wait until next winter when Baby M can enjoy it too! :)

Bryant made his first solo baby purchase this past week, he bought Baby M a Jayhawk Pillow Pet! It’s hilariously cute and it was very sweet of him. He also bought a new football, just in case Baby M wants to play some catch when he/she makes his/her debut... Gee, I wonder if he’s hoping that Baby M is a “he.”

This morning I had a massive nose bleed that lasted for around 30 minutes. I was trying to get ready for work and literally had to re-shower after I finally got the bleeding to stop. I think I had mentioned in a previous blog that I had some nose bleeding over the past few weeks (which apparently is normal in the 2nd trimester) but what happened this morning was out of control. I actually called Dr. Hodny's office as I was getting worried about the length of time the nose bleed lasted and the amount of blood. His nurse seemed worried at first but told me that as long as it was not associated with a headache that it should be okay, but if it happens again, I need to go to the hospital right away. Let's hope this was a one time kinda thing!

The next doctor's appointment is in TWO WEEKS from today! We are so so SO excited - I can't believe we're actually going to know what we're having in approximately 337 hours!!!! :) I seriously need to find something to keep me busy over the next 2 weeks or I might go crazy!

Until next week,

Bryant, Danielle & Belly

Sweet 16

At 16 weeks Baby M is the size of an avocado. I am starting to get confused by the fruit chart, because last week Baby M was the size of an orange - which I'm positive is bigger than an avocado...oh well, I suppose in the grand scheme of things, fruit comparisons are irrelevant! :) Either way, Baby M is around 4.6 inches long and 3.5 ounces. Oddly enough, this seems huge!

Word on the street is that at 16 weeks Baby M is now able to listen to our voices - guess we should start paying a little more attention to the content of our conversations! :) Baby M is also growing eye lashes, eye brows and hair. He/she has also begun to form taste buds. Baby M, you are welcome in advance for the large quantities of ice cream and Butterfingers that I have been consuming.

The second trimester has been going as well as can be expected. I have had a few headaches recently (although this could just be sinus issues or weather) and I have had a few nosebleeds. Apparently pregnant nosebleeds are normal...although annoying and gross. I have noticed that I feel slightly out of breath after doing simple tasks and am attributing this to pregnancy...which again is apparently normal as my insides and lungs are starting to get crowded. I definitely have a noticeable "swelling" in my abdomen and I am really starting to feel pregnant. Speaking of feeling pregnant, I still haven't felt Baby M kick - but I am so anxious for when I do! I try to lay very still every night before bed and wait for it, but nothing yet. Don't worry - you will be the first to know when I do...well after I tell Baby M's daddy of course! :)

Speaking of Baby M's daddy...Baby M doesn't know how lucky he/she is! Seriously, Bryant has been the BEST soon-to-be daddy ever. He has been working very hard on Baby M's room lately and now we have all the furniture put together, the closet organizer in and the new blinds are installed! He has also been taking great care of me and keeping me happy...which I am the first to admit is not an easy task! I am especially thankful for the ice cream that he not only gets for me, but adds awesome toppings to (like left-over Butterfingers from Halloween!)

Speaking of how lucky Baby M is, last week we received our car set and stroller travel system, thanks to Grandma Berland! I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not when I blogged about Baby M's furniture, but that was a gift from Grandma Muir! Seriously... Luckiest. Baby. Ever. Here is a picture of the travel system, it is neutral so it will be great for a boy or a girl.



Lots of love,

Bryant, Danielle & Belly