It's A. . .

. . .GIRL! The Drama Queen and I are beyond excited; that is, after I picked my jaw up off the floor and demanded that the technician check it again at least five more times! You see, hubby's family has boys, boys, and more boys, and I had resigned myself to the idea that Little Sprout would be boy#3 for this family. Don't get me wrong - if Little Sprout had been a boy, I would have been pretty happy too. :) But when the tech stated that Little Sprout was indeed a girl, I shrieked and then cried with joy. I feel so blessed to be able to have two of each - my girl bookends, as hubby calls them.

I immediately pulled out my long list of girl's names that I had already been compiling just in case. Of course, the Nerd quickly shortened the list with his "I knew a kid with that name and she was weird" or "that makes me think of a song I don't like - hold on, it's coming to me." Sigh. I have a feeling that it will take us a while to agree on a name for our sweet baby girl. (eeek, I squeal just saying the words "baby girl"!) Not that I am in any hurry to name her.

I have restrained myself from going to the baby stores and immediately filling my cart full of tiny dresses and miniature Mary Janes. So far. We shall see how long my self-control lasts. . .

Fifteen - Eighteen Weeks

The Baby: Little Sprout has been growing rapidly, moving from apple-size to avocado-size to turnip-size to bell pepper-size in the space of a few weeks. I am calling the baby "Squirmy" as I have been feeling lots of kicks and elbows in the past weeks. At my check-up on Tuesday, it took forever to get a heart-beat reading because the little one kept jumping and moving around. So much for my hopes for a calm and peaceful baby. :) You may have noticed the jump from sixteen to eighteen weeks. Apparently, EDD calculations were a bit off and I am actually a week ahead of what we all thought.

The Belly: It's definitely high and sticking out in front. It is a bit disturbing that I have already outgrown some of my maternity clothes.

Me: I am hungry hungry hungry all the time! Thankfully no nausea or morning sickness cropped up while we were on the road and eating all kinds of crazy things. I am especially excited because later today I have my ultrasound to find out the baby's gender! I am hoping Little Sprout will cooperate, and I am also hoping I don't go out afterwards and blow the month's budget on sweet little dresses or handsome little overalls. :)

The Siblings: They are all pretty chill about it now. Every once in a while the Beast talks to my belly, and recently the Spud announced excitedly that he was not a baby anymore because "momma has a new baby." We'll see how the crew does at the ultrasound today.

I'd better go get ready for that ultrasound. Afterwards, the kiddos are headed to Grandma's to spend the night - I am prepping them now by dosing them up on cotton candy and soda.

Twelve Weeks

Woohoo! I am officially at the end of my first trimester. :)

The Baby: Little Sprout is doing well with a heart rate of 166 beats a minute. Now the size of a lime, the little one is starting to make sucking movements with its mouth, and all of the reflexes are beginning to work. Little Sprout had a first photo session today. :)

I saw this picture and fell in love. Again. I am always amazed at how much love I have to give all the littles in my life.

Me: I am doing fantastic! Morning sickness is quickly fading out of the picture, and to be honest, I am breathing a big sigh of relief that the first trimester is over. I am trying not to worry over picking up big objects (i.e. The Beast) or doing more strenuous tasks. I am also trying to get to the gym at least three or four times a week, so as to justify the giant bowl of ice cream I had last night. Or the nachos I had at 1:00 in the morning a few days ago. Or. . . well, you get the picture.

Siblings: They still seem excited at the idea of a new little one entering our lives come Christmas time. I am thankful for a grandma who can come by and watch them so I can go to doctors' appointments without terrorizing the ob-gyn's office. The Beast asked me yesterday if he could talk to the baby. He rubbed my belly, saying, "Hi, baby!. You are so cute!" Then he looked up at me and said, "Your turn, Momma! Say hi to the french fries!" as he lifted up his shirt.

The Plans: Since it is officially garage sale season around here, I am on the lookout for a baby swing and/or bouncy seat for Little Sprout as well as some other necessary baby items. As soon as we find out the gender of Little Sprout, I will be piling up the clothes, blankets, bibs, etc. as well.

And that's it for this week. I am looking forward to moving into the second trimester! :)