24 Weeks!

I can hardly believe this, but I'm about 24 weeks along which is considered "Viability Day." I still can barely believe that I'm pregnant, but there's no mistaking the huge belly and the little kicks that we can now feel and see from the outside!



We've been getting the nursery ready, but for now everything is still waiting for the room to be cleared out. I have a dresser, a twin bed for me to sleep in when she's still up all night, I ordered custom bedding for the crib, new drawer pulls for the dresser, window shades, and a ceiling fan. I also made a mobile that ties in our pink-orange-elephant theme. I can't wait to put it all together and post some pictures.

One of the most exciting things, after MS feeling her kick was my mom getting to feel her kick. I know it meant a lot to her and I am glad she was the second person after Winter's dad to get to experience this. It just makes things so real. Even for me, feeling her from the outside is so much cooler than feeling her from the inside, because it just seems so strong and it's just proof that she's really in there and it's not just some other rumbling of my tummy.

Updates galore

Wow I've been doing a terrible job updating this blog. The truth is, I've been so busy, but lots is happening!

We had our NT scan while in Florida and everything looked great. Baby was wiggling around like crazy and all the measurements looked good. Later bloodwork confirmed things were as good as possible, meaning I had the lowest possible 1/huge number risk for all of the different disorders they can test for.

Here's baby at 11 weeks:


When we got home I was 16 weeks along and we had another appointment with Dr. Fine. She did not do an ultrasound but we did get to hear baby's heartbeat for the first time via doppler. It's so nice and comforting to hear that sound and be reassured. I also started feeling movement, just a tiny, hard to believe little bit.

At 18 weeks we had our anatomy scan and found out that it's a girl! We are using the name Winter Claire, which is the name we had picked out last time, if it had been a girl. I was conflicted about using the name since it was attached to our first baby, but since we don't know if that baby was a boy or a girl, I decided to give our first baby a unisex name that we both liked, Rowan, and keep Winter for this little girl. I haven't really told anyone this part, but I like that it reminds me of my first baby, who was due in the winter and who I thought of as my winter baby. Maybe it's weird or wrong but it feels like I'm honoring Rowan by naming his or her little sister Winter. Claire is my mother's middle name.



I'm now feeling lots of movement, they're still subtle little kicks and swirls but there's no mistaking what's going on in there. It's so nice and comforting to feel her wriggling around all the time and know she is doing okay. I don't think the fear is ever completely gone but feeling movement helps so much I'm so grateful for it.

MS and I just went back to Florida for a birthday celebration trip. I turned 30 on Wednesday May 25th, and spent the day with my family at Disneyland. It just so happens that one of my friends and I have the same birthday. She also happens to be married to one of MS's best friends, so the four of us went out to Orlando to go to Disneyworld to celebrate our birthdays. We had a great time, though the heat and all the walking was a bit rough on my pregnant body. My ankles were so swollen! I am so happy to be home again, I think I've seen enough of Florida for awhile!