Big Surprise

I have half the mind to hold you in suspense for 30 minutes like the ultrasound technician did. Slowly torturing you with pictures of vital organs that would have been of great interest to me had I not been on pins and needles to know the gender of the baby. I know these things are important and I was relieved to learn that our little bundle of joy passed all the ultrasound tests with flying colors. But let’s cut to the chase! After about 30 minutes of torture and blurry images the tech zoomed in on something that seemed familiar. I have seen lots of gender ultrasound pictures and knew immediately what I was looking at. As she typed “leg” and “bottom” on the screen I knew exactly what was coming next. She slowly typed “I am a … B – O – Y!” just as I had predicted. I quickly looked over at Sam because I wanted to see his reaction. A puzzled look washed over his face. I don’t think he believed the technician. He wanted to be absolutely certain about this critical piece of information! He made her show him every detail until he could see with his own eyes the proof that he was in fact having a son. Once Sam had been convinced to his liking, it was all smiles from there!

I had mixed feelings about the whole ultrasound experience that had nothing to do with the results. I am thrilled we have a healthy baby and I can’t wait to raise our little boy. What an adventure it will be! I think I just expected to see more. I mean the experience is pretty amazing but it is a challenge to be full of joy and awe when the tech is pushing hard on your already full bladder and you are craning your neck to catch a glimpse of something on the little monitor. Sam said I should have spoken up and he is right. The monitor was not turned far enough toward me and the tech (who is new to the practice) sped through most of the images before I had a moment to take them in. Luckily this was all forgotten when she brought out the 4D wand. This was truly amazing! The sweet little baby almost looked lifelike on the screen. First he sucked his thumb, then he did something that resembled a wave (all 5 fingers clearly visible), then as if telling us he had had enough of all these photography sessions he nuzzled his hand against his face like he was taking a little nap. I was spellbound and all the troubles of the previous 30 minutes were long gone. I was in love with my baby boy!

We are pleased to introduce the future Samuel “Harrison” Coverdale:

No Appointment Today

The lab technician that does the ultrasounds couldn't be in the office today. They rescheduled our appointment for tomorrow afternoon. :-(

Hopefully, we will have good news to post tomorrow!

Baby Gifts!

Sorry it has been a while since my last post. I am trying to keep up! I have spent the last week recovering from my mini-vacation down to Fairhope. It was so nice to get the opportunity to visit my parents. Even though we got to share our pregnancy news with my parents over Christmas, this was the first time we really got to talk baby and shop baby in person.

My parents were wonderful hosts! The fridge was filled with all my favorite items (fresh fruit and yummy almond cookies – thanks so much Mrs. Smith!), there were lots of fun surprises ready for me to open on arrival (more later), and my dad prepared lots of yummy home-cooked meals. As an added bonus, the weather couldn’t have been much nicer. Since it was Fairhope’s Arts and Crafts Festival, most of our time was spent walking around downtown enjoying the festival. We also visited a few baby and maternity stores downtown so I could show mom what I liked and didn’t like (I think I liked everything!).

As I said above, there were lots of gifts waiting for me when I got home. My mom had been very busy sewing lots of beautiful things for the baby. She had also done a little shopping too. It was really fun – these were my first baby gifts! Here are some of the fun baby items (sorry the picture quality isn’t great..it really doesn’t do the pretty items justice):

Little bunny bowl - like I use to have when I was little

Pretty little bib
Sweet sack handmade by mom (like a little sweater)

Detail on sack
Pretty handmade day gown (also made by mom)

This will probably be my last post until next week. I am going in for my BIG sonogram this Monday. If all goes well, I will know the gender of the baby the next time I post. I am so excited but also a little nervous. While my focus has been finding out the gender of the baby, there are also a lot of “tests” being performed by the technician. Above all we are hoping the technician gets lots of good readings and sees a very healthy baby!

Snow Day

For everyone living north of Memphis these pictures won't seem like much but the snow last night was a pretty big deal for those of us living way down south. This is the first real snow we have had this year. The snow started yesterday afternoon and continued until about midnight last night. The news said there were about 6 to 7 inches of snow.

We really enjoyed waking up to the winter wonderland outside. Here are some pictures of our adventures outside. I think Lilly enjoyed the snow the most!

Our house covered in snow.

Lilly running in the snow.

Sam and Lilly really liked the snow.

I liked the snow too! I couldn't resist making a snow angel.

I hope everyone is enjoying these last few days of winter because spring is almost here!

Look Ma, No Cavities!

After stressing out over the semi-annual dentist appointment for about a month I finally got up the nerve to call and make an appointment. Normally, there is little to no stress in our house over dentist appointments. This appointment was a little different than others I have experience due to the little baby growing inside of me.

For the last few months, the toothbrush and I have been archenemies. There were weeks where the very idea of brushing my teeth could induce a combination of nausea and tears (over said nausea). At my very worst, I would brush my teeth while showering (the water was distracting) with a plain toothbrush and followed the brushing with a mouthwash rinse. Recently I have been able to return to my regular brushing schedule but I still only brush for the very minimal amount of time required.

Due to the brushing phobia, I didn’t think it would be wise to schedule a dentist appointment during my first trimester but I didn’t see any harm making an appointment now that I was several weeks into my second trimester. I had two basic fears about going to the dentist.

1. Failure to brush thoroughly for the last couple of months would result in cavities or at least really yucky teeth that would require extreme painful cleaning.
   
2. My gag reflex would result in a very unpleasant appointment for both me and the dental hygienist.

I am happy to report (as my title indicated) that I didn’t have any cavities and that I didn’t puke on anyone. I celebrated both accomplishments by treating myself to lunch at the Pei Wei Restaurant around the corner from the dentist office. Yummy!

Water Works

I can think of plenty of pregnancy symptoms I have encountered so far that just seem cruel - morning sickness (it should be called endless motion sickness), dizziness, extreme exhaustion, and several body functions that we just won’t get into here.

There are also several pregnancy symptoms that I think are kind of funny (note: I probably have a warped sense of humor). One I have shared in the past that is still plaguing me is crazy dreams. While the dreams have subsided a little bit over the last few weeks, I am still having my fair share. Poor Sam received the wrath of this particular symptom last night when my sleep talking woke him up. Evidently my dream was so bad that I was sobbing loudly in my sleep. I have a vague recollection of the dream and it was pretty frightening.

Even funnier than the crazy dreams is the newest pregnancy symptom I have developed which is crying fits. At this point these crying fits are fairly brief and are usually provoked by heartwarming news stories or television programs. In my non-pregnant state I am not one to cry over these sorts of things. I have been known to tear up a little over a touching book (see: “Marley & Me”) or a movie (anything based on a Nicolas Sparks novel) but otherwise I am pretty tough. I have been told that this is just the beginning and that I should be prepared for more extreme cases of this to come. According to a coworker, by his wife’s third trimester of pregnancy she couldn’t watch a long distance commercial without tearing up.

Last night’s episode was sparked by a story on the nightly news. It was one of those “feel good” stories that they end the news programs with. This particular story was about a lady that recycles flowers from weddings and other events to take to the elderly patients in nursing homes. The image of those sweet little ladies receiving flower arrangements was all it took to start the water works. Based on what has triggered tears in the last couple of weeks, I have noticed I am particularly sensitive to stories involving the elderly and the disabled. This sudden sensitivity really amuses Sam and who could blame him? The sight of a grown woman crying over a sappy news story has to be pretty funny. I can’t imagine how much ridicule I will get if and when I start crying over commercials. I know one thing for sure, we are going to have to add Kleenex to the shopping list!

Is There a Red Head in my Future?

Greeting bloggers! Here is another development update for those of you keeping track. Big things are happening this week in baby land. Turns out this week is when the baby's hair color is determined. Will baby Coverdale take after its daddy? Guess we will have to wait and see!

PS - There is even a great fruit reference below for those of you following along. Enjoy!

Week 15: Skin Begins to Form

Your baby's skin starts out nearly transparent. Eyebrows and scalp hair may make an appearance. For babies destined to have dark hair, the hair follicles will begin producing pigment.

The bone and marrow that make up your baby's skeletal system are continuing to develop this week. Your baby's eyes and ears now have a baby-like appearance, and the ears have almost reached their final position.

Curious why your body is finally looking like it's pregnant? That's because your baby is growing bigger each week — he or she is as long as four and a half inches right now. Need a better visual (and a snack)? Hold a large navel orange in your hand — that's how big your little darlin' is.