We're having a BOY!

Today was our 20 week appointment and sonogram. Although, I am actually 21 weeks and 2 days today. We found out we're having a little boy. We are so very excited about our news and can't wait to actually start planning for his arrival. It's so nice to be able to say "he" and not wonder if we should really being saying "she."

On top of that news, we also got to see how he's developing. The doctor said his head and abdominal section are growing at the right rate. We got to see his heart and the four chambers that have developed. It was a relief to see them all working together and properly formed. What a miracle! His heart rate was 162 which was a little up from our last couple of visits which were consistently at 160 each time. The doctor said that we should have expected to see the heart rate to go down this month, but since he was so sqirmy it was okay. Our little man is already in training I guess.

Also after reviewing his measurements, the doctor said that I am actually 22 weeks and 3 days instead of 21 weeks and 2 days. She said that we would still go off our due date of June 20th but that the computer could possibly read an earlier due date because boys grow a little faster than girls. But I just look at Tony and think well I am married to a big guy anyway so we might be making a big little guy too.

Here are some pictures of our day at the doctor.

This is certainly a picture that he won't appreciate us showing, but its where the proofs at that...IT'S A BOY!

He's looking right at the camera in this one. You can see his heart too. It's the black spot in the middle of his white chest.

Here's another picture of his face. We wish he would have turned on his side to show us his profile too, but again he was a little squirmy. We were just excited to see his little face.

This is a picture of the bottom of his feet. I guess he has 10 toes? We only hope!

January 31st - 20 Weeks

This is my 20 week photo. It feels like I'm getting bigger little by little. Over the past two weeks it feels like my belly has finally began to show. Most of my friends still don't really think I look pregnant, but it is a definitely more evident in these pictures and when Iift my shirt. I really can't wait to see that round pregnant belly. Now I know I say and wish that now. And down the road I'll probably not feel as comfortable but at least it will be more obvious that I'm pregnant.

A big highlight from this week is that Tony got to feel the baby flutter (or kick). I say flutter because it feels just like a butterfly fluttering in my belly. Tony knows that the baby has been fluttering for me, and he's really wanted to feel it too. I keep telling him that he probably wouldn't be able to feel it since it is still very faint. But this past Wednesday night, (2/4/09) Tony was determined. So when we were laying in bed, he decided to lay his head on my belly. He said he'd lay there as long as it took. Well, to much of our surprise it was only a matter of seconds when the baby kicked him. It was strange because it was a little harder then what I was used to. I guess the baby felt crammed and that was its way of saying..."Give me some room here!" We laughed with excitement. Tony was so happy to finally feel our baby move and get to experience what I've been feeling for a couple of weeks now. We can't wait to feel the real kicks in the future.

January 12th - 17 Weeks (and two days)

This picture was taken on January 12th which was the same day of my doctor's appointment. We took the Quad Screening test which tests for Downes Symdrome and Spina Bifida. We were relieved to find out that the tests came back negative. Our next appointment is on February 9th. We'll finally get to find out if we're having a little girl or little boy. Not only will we find the sex out but our doctor will also get to take a sneak peak of our babies development. We pray that he or she is on schedule and is growing just the way it needs to be at 21 weeks.

People keep asking us what we think we're having. So I guess I'll document our guess. I think I am having a little boy. Now I say this because everyone I know has been saying that since I didn't have morning sickness that it would be a boy. They (whoever they really is?) say that girls tend to come with morning sickness. I guess I also tend to say HE instead of SHE because I have two nephews and that's just what I am used to saying when refering to babies. Tony thinks its a boy too. I am not sure if he has any real theories about it but I just know that from day one he's asked my belly, "How's my little Mason doing?" But I keep telling him that he better watch out. Avery Claire might be getting her feelings hurt.

Either way, we just hope that our baby is healthy and has all 10 fingers and 10 toes. We are really excited to start planning the nursery and picking out colors.

December 28th - 14 Weeks

I know I am working backwards but I wanted to bring the pictures up to date. This picture was taken on December 28th and I was 14 weeks pregnant. This was after spending the morning with Tony's family at the Gaylord Texan. We wrapped up a nice Christmas visit with brunch and then said our good byes to his parents to fly home to Ohio.

October 13th - 4 Weeks Pregnant

Tony took pictures of me the next day. We thought it would be nice to document what I looked like at the very beginning of our pregnancy. We plan on taking more throughout the next 9 months to show the progress.

(4 Weeks Pregnant)

October 12th - The day we found out!

I guess we need to take you back to October 12th, the day we found out we were pregnant. I had just come home from San Diego, Ca for a business conference and Tony just returned from Ohio for the Kent State Homecoming game. It had been only 2 days since my last missed period so I wasn't sure if it was too soon to test. I also didn't openly bring it up to Tony because I was still contemplating whether or not I should test by myself and then plan a cute surprise for him. Well, he beat me to the punch. He ended up asking me right before we laid down for bed around 11:00pm that Sunday night. So what could I say, the decision was made for me. So I got up and tested. It was almost instantaneous that two pink stripes showed up on the stick. Tony was in the other room and I started giggling. He immediately ran in the bathroom and I looked up and said, "WE'RE HAVING A BABY!" He smiled so big and we just sat there staring at each other in disbelief and with the biggest grins on our faces. We couldn't stop smiling. WOW - Praise God! We both couldn't believe it happened so fast and on our first try. Needless to say we couldn't go to sleep right away that night. We ended up staying up talking and started thinking about all the planning that was in store for us.

The photographic evident. It's positive!

Tony and I with the photographic evidence.

Again, it was 11:00pm right before bed. We didn't exactly plan for this Kodak moment.

Tony celebrating the good news. Of course I was the designated picture person. We thought showing me with my celebratory glass of water would be boring.

New to the Blogging World!

Tony and I have finally decided to join the blogging world. We thought this would be a great way to share updates and photos with our friends and family that live far away from us.

The most excited news for us lately, is the upcoming birth of our first child. We found out on November 13, 2008 that we were pregnant and that our baby's due date is June 20, 2009. This was a huge blessing to Tony and me as we got pregnant within the first month of trying. We have always heard that for most "first timers" it could take anywhere up to a year or more to conceive. But according to God's plan, it happened right away. Of course we were a bit surprised and just truly thankful that God has allowed us to have this opportunity in life.

Tony and I can't wait to share the progress and our experiences of this wonder miracle that God has given us with everyone. We hope you enjoy!