IT'S A GIRL!

Photos to come....

It was 90% confirmed at our last ultrasound that it was a girl and that her heart looked great! She is still head down but this time she was facing sideways instead of backwards. We are so excited and blesses to have a healthy baby and pregnancy thus far. When I first learned I was pregnant, a girl was what I wanted, but I started telling myself it was a boy just in case it wasn't a girl. Then I got caught up in it being a boy that when I suspected girl 3 weeks ago, I had to readjust. Now I realize it doesn't matter and never did. Girls and girl things are just so darn sweet.

We are also very thankful that Robbie's parents got to come over for the ultrasound. The timing of the last appointment didn't work for them to join us, so when we rescheduled I made sure they were able to come. We had quite the entourage at the hospital: Tim and Yvonne, my parents, Arnold and Vickie, Robbie's parents, and Robbie's friend Calvin who arrived that morning from North Dakota. The ultrasound tech could definitely tell this was the first baby and first grandbaby for the number of people following us.

Robbie and Calvin took off camping for the weekend with some of their guy friends so we haven't had alot of time to talk about it. My initial thoughts are how precious she will be. How I hope she gets Robbie's blue eyes. How I will teach her self respect, kindness, happiness, and to know she is a prize. My friend Shannon says she's going to teach her to be a princess. I say ok as long as she's a nice princess who cares for her king and queen and all the people of her kingdom and her earth.

We have wasted no time collecting girl things. The first thing we got was a pair of crocheted pink bunny booties. Shortly after we got the crib bedding we liked.
Meredith picked me up for lunch after hitting Macy's picking up 7 or 8 dresses on the summer sale. Mom and her girlfriends came over today bringing bags, booties, blankets, bibs, bowls, wipes, and many other adorable things. Her 3 friends, Ima Jean, Adelia, and Anne are all grandmothers and had plenty of advice to offer to me and to Mom about what she'll need at her house.

I know some people like to wait to know the gender, but I am so glad to know. I feel like it's a half way milestone and sheds a new color on the whole rest of the pregnancy. Little girl, you are loved!!

Next Ultrasound Friday

Our next ultrasound is this Friday - earlier than 4 pm - and I can't wait to see our baby again. I am not as anxious about this one as I was the last one now that I know what it's about and knowing that sometimes babies don't do what you want them to. All you moms out there are thinking, "Lee, let go of this expectation right now." It just goes to show that even at 20 weeks our baby has a mind of its own and makes conscious and unconscious choices of its own. I know, another idea I need to get used to.

I'm feeling the baby move more and more often. This week it has been down low tap dancing on my bladder. At one point I felt a bump above and to the right of my belly button and down low at the same time which gave me an idea of how long it might be. It was also an indication that it's getting closer and closer to my ribs at which point there will be nowhere to go but out front.

This period of pregnancy has truly been the most fun compared to the first 18 weeks. This part makes you look forward to doing it again. I feel pretty good most of the time except in the middle of the night when I get up. I feel sore like my body doesn't want to move or bend and my feet feel stiff and achy. What is this?? Anyone know? I believe my feet might be growing. With it being so warm my feet are bigger than they were in May and I hear your feet can grow during pregnancy. Is this because of the hormone relaxin?

A Star is Born

If you read our post about the timing of the conception of this baby, you will remember that it happened the week I auditioned for the play The Foreigner. It spent its first 8 weeks of life in the theatre with all the adrenaline and joys of stardom. If the phases of the moon or the days of the week supposedly shape the personality of the child, why can't the feelings and actions of the mother also have an impact? I'm starting to really wonder if it does.

Case in point #1: The Foreigner is running again currently with all the same cast members except for me. They claimed I would/might appear too pregnant. Hogwash, I know! Well, not really since I can't wear any of my prepregnancy clothes. Advice to other pregnant women - Don't even try. You'll be pleased when your jeans fit over your hips. You'll be pleased further when you can button them, but very displeased when your belly is bulging over the top. So, back to The Foreigner. We went last Friday night to opening night of the play and our baby jumped around the whole time. It wanted to be on stage again and so did it's mommy!

Case in point #2: Last night I went to see the new Harry Potter movie. Last night was also the first time I could push on my stomach and actually feel it bump, so we have decided to name the baby if it's a girl Hermione Lavender, and if it's a boy, Harry Albus. I was lying in bed smiling to myself as if the world could melt away around me as long as I could keep this connection. I would press down and feel it press back. I could even feel it move more to one side than the other. I don't know what was a foot or arm or head, but I could feel it change positions and it was the most amazing thing...magical even!

So the point here is that our baby likes to be entertained and seems especially stimulated by the theatre. I've also changed my inclination to think it just might be a girl and when I think of dramatic, theatrical little girls I think of none other than Samantha Luterman and Mary Kristen (Galanos) Frank.

Pictured on the front row are Mary Kristen on the far left, Samantha third from the left and I am right next to Samantha during our kindergarten Christmas play.

I have known these queens since I was 4 years old. We went to school together all our lives. Mom tells carpool stories about Samantha how she would cry the entire way home but when she got out of the car she would do cartwheels to her front door.

This is Samantha now on the right dressing up and I bet she can still do cartwheels.

Mary Kristen and I were in the same first grade class and when the teacher left us attended by a high school student MK would behave so badly! I remember her getting in big trouble for opening the window in the classroom and escaping while the teacher was gone. MK even got married on stage at the Saenger Theatre in Mobile! Both of them were very active in theatre and had an uncanny ability to hold their audiences captive. All I can say is I will forever be entertained should this be true.

This is Mary Kristen. She titled the performance in this photo "NY Bar Prep While Drinking Sangria."

To Red Lodge and Back

This past weekend we went with my mom and dad to Red Lodge, Montana to spend the night and drive over the Beartooth Highway into Cooke City located inside Yellowstone National Park. We left Saturday morning after dropping off 2 eager puppies at Bark City, the local doggie daycare. We enjoyed the time in the car together and talked about everything from our favorite tv show True Blood to Baby V's arrival. We ate lunch in Red Lodge before checking into the hotel. Rock Creek was flowing along side the hotel and it looked like it might have some good fishing, but access was an issue. The guys hung out while Mom and I shopped in Red Lodge. It mostly had touristy shops with a few nice gift stores. One in particular was called The Glass Rabbit where they had adorable baby things - if only BV had shown him/herself!! We had a wonderful dinner Saturday where we ate noteworthy clam chowder and not soon forgotten cheesecake.

Sunday morning after breakfast we got on the highway and drove up the steep switch backs eventually reaching nearly 11,000 feet above sea level. The sights were spectacular and included many marmots aka rockchucks and seldom seen mountain goats. The mountain lakes were abundant. One still had ice chunks in it.

We made our way to Cooke City within YNP and came out through the east exit at Gardiner, Montana. In the park we saw a huge bull elk, lots of bison, and even a black bear eating grass. We started referring to BV as the bear cub (a reference back to my grizzly bear post), so little bear cub, we look forward to taking you to the park and watching your amazement at this great big world.

20 Weeks...Gender Undetected

Our 20 week ultrasound came and went. It has been the most highly anticipated day since finding out we were pregnant. We went to the radiology department on Friday afternoon with mom and dad. The ultrasound tech was very nice and I thanked her for being there on a holiday weekend at 4 o'clock and being nice about it. We got to see its arms and legs, feet and hands, ribs and spine, kidneys and bladder, and skull. It was the cutest ultrasound I've ever seen. It was face planted backwards (facing my back) and upside down with its legs tightly crossed. We got no preview of its baby parts to see if it was a boy or a girl! I tried rolling over, jumping up and down, doing some squats, eating some candy and the little bugger wouldn't budge. We also couldn't see its heart the way we needed to. There wasn't a problem. They just couldn't see all the chambers the way they needed to because of how it was positioned. The good news is that for that medical reason we get to have another one in a few weeks.

Its little feet were stacked right on top of eachother.

I admit was a little disappointed

to not find out. I guess I built it all up too much in my mind that we would have a new way of looking at our baby from that day forward. It's still really cool and I am so grateful that everything looked well. See you soon, baby!! We love you already!

Week 20: Ultrasound Eve

Tomorrow is our 20 week ultrasound. I am soooo excited! I'm thrilled to see our baby on the screen again. The changes will be tremendous since our first ultrasound at week 7 when it looked like nothing more than a tiny blob. It will look like a baby with a real facial profile. Hopefully it will reveal its gender and that it's heart and bone structure look perfect. It gives me chills to know that tomorrow we will hopefully know more about our baby that will forecast its entire future - names, activities, clothes, hopes and dreams. Dad can start planning the pony barn, tractor shed, and anything else he thinks this kid could want or need. If you recall I asked Dad when we announced we were pregnant what he would say when this kid wants a pony. Dad said, "I'll tell it to get in the truck. Let's go!"

Dad has been saying this whole time that if we find out the gender he wants us to try to keep it a secret for him. He arrived back in town last night and has changed his mind and now wants to be at the ultrasound. I asked him why he changed his mind. He replied, "I don't want to be left out!" Haha, of course you don't, Dad, and you won't have to be! Bill and Gail Bramer are also here from Mobile visiting and will get to be part of the excitement tomorrow.

Back to the Man's Guide to Baby Sizes, I thought this week 20 comparison was too good not to include. Here's what he said:

Pregnancy Week 20: Mmmm...memories. This week your baby is now the size of one nice-sized boob.

My question is a nice sized regular boob? Or a nice sized pregnant boob? The difference can be substantial.

I also want to give a shout out to my friend Shelly whose birthday is tomorrow. Happy birthday Shells!!!!!!!

Grizzly Bears - I'm Almost That Furry

The hardest part of pregnancy so far has been dealing with the emotional/hormonal ups and downs. Rob has been as patient as he knows how to be despite my impatience (rage, actually) at times. He tries very hard to understand but he also lets me know when enough is enough! It's a hard thing for a man to understand how our emotions really and truly alter our entire perception of reality.



Rob likes to compare me to a mama grizzly bear. (Rob uses the technical female bear term, sow, which makes me think of a pig, and that is not how I want to think of myself right now). A man was recently attacked by a mama grizzly in Yellowstone National Park. The man was walking down the trail and came upon a grizzly bear and her cub feeding on an elk carcass. That man is lucky to be alive! Nothing is more fierce than a grizzly with a cub. Throw food in the equation and you have a killer beast. I believe on a primitive level it is a perfectly natural response during pregnancy for women to be more defensive and aggressive to ensure the best protection of our babies. We are more vulnerable during pregnancy so it seems we take extra protective measures. Rob has gotten so good at this he usually greets me with something to eat when I get home from work (darling, I know!) eliminating the need for food in his effort to prevent disaster. Maybe I'm just trying to justify my short temper, but I think there's something to what I'm saying. Why else would it be more difficult now than it was before pregnancy?

I don't want anyone thinking I am horrible to my husband or anyone else who crosses me. That has not been the case. I just have to work a little harder at it because my first impulse is not always kind. I am still employed as a customer service representative who delights in being cheerful and helpful 40 hours a week. The rest of the time, bring bear spray.



Oh and as for me being furry, apparently hair growth is a side effect of pregnancy. Every time I go to the doctor I say, "I think my belly is getting hairier." She says plainly, "Yes, it is. This will continue."