Lots to Come :)

Last weekend, I was so happy to go shower our cousin, Alia, and her baby girl, Addison who is due right before Thanksgiving.  (This is the first picture I have of me as a pregnant chick (aside from the ones we snapped outside the doc's office when the world was still spinning at warp speed.))

Alia had probably the most efficient baby shower Ive been to recently.  She is having a little girl, so I assumed she would get 90% clothes and 10% necessities/things baby will NEED.  Wrong! Alia got anything and everything she could possibly need AND all the cute girly baby stuff a new mommy loves! Im excited for our baby to have a playmate so close in age :) 

Whitney has been loving our Awana nights at church each week.  She learns a new Bible verse (verrrry basic,  "God made everything." "God made the trees.", etc.) and gets to play and color and eat a snack with her friends from church. She looks so cute in her little uniform :) 

And Thursday was "Pirate Day" at school.  Whitney was excited to dress up and even more excited to tell her teachers, "Arrrrr, Matey!!" She is still LOVING school. 

Some recent funnies:

Whitney has evolved into a TOTAL Daddy's Girl.  She could totally ditch me and be happy.  She asks for Daddy first thing every morning and cant wait for him to get home each evening.  She wants Daddy to take her potty....Daddy to play in her playroom....Daddy to hold her.....Daddy to make her lunch. etc etc.  I know its normal, and to be honest, as tired as I have been lately, I am sorta enjoying the little break this affords me most evenings!  

Last Friday, Whitney woke up and Eric had already left for work.  Admittedly, I have been less-fun than usual, as I am tirrrred and literally have to hold my eyes open at various points during the day.  So Mommy being less fun + Whitney's new Daddy's Girl phase = the following exchange.

Whitney: (whining) I waaannnt Daaaaddddyyyyyy!

Me: I know, Honey.  He'll be home after work and youll get to play with Daddy then.

Whitney: Noooo....I waaant Daaaaaddyyyy nowwww...

Me: Im sorry, Bug. He'll be home as soon as he can, but he cant come home now.

Whitney: (thinking for a second between sobs) Den I wanna go to SCHOOOOOL!! I want Daddy or I wanna go to school!!! 

I admit.  Im not fun lately. I dont blame her for seeking out the fun folks.

I will be 9 weeks pregnant tomorrow.  At a Maternal Fetal Medicine appointment last week, we heard the heartbeat for the first time and I officially lost it.  The tech asked me to remain as still as I could since she was trying to take measurements of the baby.  I tried my best, and then she turned the volume up and that little flicker on the screen filled the room with the most amazing sound we've ever heard.  My belly started shaking as I was crying and trying so hard not to move or shake (its impossible).  I was relieved when the tech gladly smiled and said "Its okay...i understand."  She had all the info and measurements she needed and I was free to cry. :) 

We met with the high risk doctor who asked a gazillion questions about my history and happily determined that I am NOT a high risk pregnancy, and that I will not need any injections or extra medications during the pregnancy.  In fact, she believes the hematology reports were inaccurate and skewed since I was on birth control pills shortly before the blood was drawn in March.  She said that I likely do not have a blood clotting disorder at all, which is great news for the pregnancy AND for the rest of my life. :) I will have ultrasounds with the high risk group every 4 weeks until I am 20 weeks, and then I will be turned over to my regular OB for the remainder of the pregnancy (assuming everything is going smoothly.)  Extra ultrasounds and no risk concern? Amazing :) God is good!

 So far, my only signs or symptoms are some bloating and EXTREEEME exhaustion.  I simply can NOT keep my eyes open.  I get dizzy when I stand up and nothing sounds appetizing, which is likely why Ive lost 6 lbs in two weeks.  Today, I am less sleepy and have a better appetite, and Im REALLY appreciating the days and hours and moments when I dont feel sick or want to gag my guts out. :)   In the grand scheme of pregnancy, I dont really FEEL pregnant...and at this stage Im sorta grateful, since this first trimester is often filled with pukes and yuckies.  Honestly, if I hadnt taken a test and had it confirmed with ultrasound, I would likely STILL not know I am pregnant.  I have a feeling my body is preparing to unleash on me in the coming months.  Yikes!

Whitney vacillated between "its a boy" and "its a girl" last week.  This week, she is pretty consistently guessing  she will have a baby sister, but that might be because she's heard me say that I think its a girl.  Yes, Im aware that Eric's family traditionally only makes boys, however my gut really leans towards girl this time.  Dont get me wrong.  I would be THRILLED either way, as there are certainly benefits to boys AND girls! I just have this feeling that it took a pretty strong swimmer to make this baby, and it is a scientific fact that girl sperm are stronger than boy sperm.  Ok, so my theories arent foolproof, but I just have this feeling that this is a girl.  We'll find out right before Thanksgiving. (And no, I wont be surprised at all if I am proven WRONG!)

We had a GREAT trip to Clemson this past weekend. I'll be back with lots of cute pics soon! :)