Boy or Girl?!?!

My monthly doctor's appointment was today, and it included the ultrasound appointment to check all the anatomical features as my doctor explained. For Brad and I, it was the appointment where we found out boy or girl. For Brad, as I learned today, it was the "anatomical features" check. I had no idea how nervous he was about today. Given his medical training, he knows all the things that can go wrong and has seen the outcomes when he worked the NICU as a resident. He kept his concerns to himself so not to worry me and as such I have been blissfully happy assuming that all is well.

Today we finally got to see that all is well (or as Brad tempered so far it looks like everything is okay). The exam lasted about 30 minutes and the nurse checked everything. All major organs, fingers and toes, spine and head - taking measurements and labeling everything for the doctor. We saw the stomach and kidneys, the heart and all it's chambers, and of course checked the face and mouth for cleft palate.

We have a very active baby boy!!!! He was kicking and playing with hands and feet the entire exam, which made it very difficult to get a good picture of his face or his whole body. He would not stop moving! It looked like he was trying to get his feet and hands into his mouth. He was all squished up in a ball with his feet by his head, which provided a very clear butt shot. Absolutely no doubt - boy!

Top pictures are shots of the baby - you can see his hands near his head. Bottom picture is of his feet - I just thought this was cute!

Bump Pictures!

Sharon, this one is for you. You keep asking for pictures so here are some. Purple turtleneck is 16 weeks. The other picture with Maggie and Waylon is at 18 weeks.

Maternity Suits

Working for a financial services company, I have worn business suits for work since 2006. For the past year and a half, however, I have worked from home and traveled most weeks. At home I wear jeans/t-shirts/casual. When traveling, always a business suit. Well, I finally "grew" out of my largest suits in January and had to buy my first maternity suit last weekend. At Destination Maternity, I had two options, the black maternity suit and the grey maternity suit - both outrageously expensive for the quality. I went with the grey and wore it for the first time today. I have to admit I felt a little silly in my strechy pants and poofy suit jacket - very comfortable, but less than fashionable to say the least.

So far I have loved everything about being pregnant. I have been extremely lucky to experience NO morning sickness. 2-3 hour afternoon naps on the weekends... Not feeling guilty about eating as much King Cake as I want... Lunch at 10:30 AM... My sweet husband offering to get ice cream at Creole Creamery on a regular basis (this is beneficial for him too!)... Our "babymoon" vacation to Grand Cayman where I drank chocolate milkshakes while sitting on the beach every day... The list could go on.

I have loved it all but one thing - the clothes. We have had very cold weather this winter in NOLA and none of my favorite sweaters fit right, and I can't fit into any of my pants. Oh how I long for spring/summer weather when I can wear empire waist dresses in pretty colors. If anyone has suggestions on maternity stores they like, let me know!

The Only Pregnant Woman on Bourbon Street...

It is truly a miracle - the Saints won the Super Bowl. On Super Bowl Sunday, our church hosted Black and Gold Sunday. The sanctuary was decorated black and gold including the custom-made, black and gold, fleur de lis designed stoles our pastors wore. The sermon was titled, "Does God care about the Saints," and we all sang When the Saints Go Marching In as our final song of the service. For the voluntary, our organist broke out into a rousing musical rendition of Crunk.

Our church 20/30 group hosted a Saints Super Bowl party, and as the 20/30 coordinator, I was responsible for organizing everything. It was a blast! After the game and clean-up, the conversation between Brad and I went something like this:

B: We have to go.

K: Go where?

B: To Bourbon. It will be a once in a lifetime experience.

K: I'm pregnant and sober, I'll be the only one on Bourbon St. who's sober.

B: That's okay, you can drive us! Let's go!

We hopped in the car and proceeded down St. Charles. The streetcar line was packed with people. Everyone was honking and yelling "Who Dat!" We cut over to Prytania and zoomed down toward the French Quarter. Then we got stuck in traffic. People were out of their cars dancing in the streets. We finally got out of that mess, cut down a back street and parked illegally on the sidewalk with the other masses of cars parked illegally on sidewalks. Then we started the long walk to Bourbon. When it was all said and done, it took us over 2 hours to get down to the French quarter, walk three blocks of Bourbon Street and then get home. What a night! One I will definitely never forget!

Back to blogging...

Brad and I announced to family members over Thanksgiving the exciting news that we are expecting. We made the announcement public to friends (and Facebook) over Christmas/New Year holidays. And since most family and friends are far away, I hope to start blogging more often about our progress... including bump pictures.