We're Havin' a GIRL!

Yesterday was our ultrasound appointment; we were so anxious/nervous/excited. We didn't really care so much about whether baby was a boy or a girl, but we just hoped everything was developing and growing the way it should (and it is). It was so exciting to see our little baby, and it's incredible what technology could show us. What it showed is that we're having a little girl! I was shocked. I totally thought we were having a boy. The good news with a girl is that we don't have to come up with a name, because we have 2 girls names we like (but NO agreement on a single boy's name).

 Russ was SO CUTE during the whole appointment. He was so excited and teary-eyed. It was almost like it made this baby seem very real to him for the first time, and last night when we said our prayers, it was cute to hear him bless our "little girl". :) But if you know Russ, you know how excited he gets about things, and it was hilarious. He was just 'ooh'ing and 'aah'ing and laughing and saying, "Look at that!" the whole time. He is going to be such a good daddy to our little girl. I can't help but smile when I envision him at a tea party or trying to put her hair in a pony tail. :) For the record, I also know he'll be an incredible daddy for our little boy(s?) in the future.

Now for the belly picture. I thought I'd wear pink this time in honor of our baby girl. I'm still pretty little, I think, but people are starting to notice my baby bump when I go out in public.

The heart necklace is from one of my students - he told his mom he HAD to get me a necklace. Russ was jealous. ;)

The first thing the ultrasound showed was the head and then when the nurse looked at the face, our little girl immediately put her hands over her face to hide. It was so cute. She also did TONS of kicking. I was nervous before since I hadn't felt lots of movement, but when I actually saw her kicking, I realized the little pops I have been feeling really were kicks. She was laying with her feet all stretched out, kicking away the whole time (which is funny because a few nights ago I was pretty sure I felt kicking and it was in the same place, so I guess she has a favorite position :D). I loved looking at her tiny little feet too.

Covering her face :)

This was taken in the act of kicking, which is why there is only one foot. I can't believe you can see all the bones! It's so cool!

For memory's sake, I'll write a little about the past 4 weeks, symptoms-wise. It has been really calm, but I'm glad it hasn't been this easy the whole time because being sick really made me appreciate this wonderful 2nd Trimester.
- Since I only throw up now once a week or less and I have my normal appetite back, I've gained 5 pounds in the 4 weeks since my last visit! I hope I don't get too huge before the end!
- I didn't really start feeling kicking until this week. Last week I think felt "fluttering" like I had swallowed a very active butterfly, but for the most part I just feel little pops deep inside my stomach or a series of distinctive thuds. They are hard to describe and different than I expected, but still pleasantly surprising every time. One night I knocked on my stomach and said, "Baby! Are you in there?" so any movement is reassuring for me.
- During the 1st Trimester I had to nap every day. Now I can handle a more 'normal' sleep schedule, but sometimes I'll just wake up at about 5am and I have no idea why. I'll usually just lay there, eat something, and fall back to sleep after about an hour. Is that normal?
- None of my pants button anymore. I usually tie them with a hair tie (thank you, Britney) or wear my pajama pants (thank you summer vacation). I did buy some maternity pants yesterday! They're actually really cute and since they just have an elastic waistband, I'll probably still wear them after pregnancy. The shirts were all tent-like, though so I'll hold off on buying those for a while.

Russ and I are so in love with our little baby girl and can't wait to meet her in October!