Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Ultrasound and The Half Way Point

As of today, I am 21 weeks and 2 days along. Last Tuesday, we had our first (and probably only) ultrasound. It was so nice to see Baby Cross. We have lots of pictures! We counted five fingers and toes on each hand and foot. We got to hear and see the heart beat at the same time. We had a very sleepy baby and a heart rate of only 132 bpm. The technician kept jabbing the instrument into my belly to try and shake the baby awake. The baby would stretch and move a bit and then fall back asleep. Pretty Cute!

We decided NOT to find out the sex of the baby, so sorry, we can't say boy or girl yet. We invited Ryan's mom (Beth) to join us. She thinks that she was able to determine the sex from what she saw, but won't say what she thinks. I heard from a friend that fathers are said to have the best intuition, but Ryan won't give any clue. I ask him daily what he thinks we are having and he says "a baby."

We showed the pictures to Tyler (Ryan's sister's fiance) and he thought that the baby looked like a dinosaur and thus was given the nickname Dino. I think that one might stick around for awhile.

Today, I am finally able to feel movement. I feel it along my left side and up by my ribs and sternum. We saw in the ultrasound that my placenta was on top and my midwife thought that the first movements I would feel would be along the side. She was right. The movements are so weird. It feels like a light tapping or drumming on the inside and the stronger movements sound like a rumbly tummy.


I hope to get some more ultrasound pictures posted soon.

We'll chat again in a few weeks.
Take care,
Anne, Ryan, and Dino

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Week 17

I had my second official doctor's appointment last week. It was fairly boring, but I guess that's good news. I, of course, came in with a list of ridiculous questions; all of which the midwife was so kind to answer. Can I see a chiropractor...Am I growing at the right pace...Can I still sleep on my stomach...etc? The midwife asked me if I had felt any movement, but I haven't yet. She said that it would probably not be obvious at first, like gas bubbles or butterflies. We listened for the baby's heartbeat again and baby's still there. Twenty minutes later we were done!

May 19th is my next appointment at ultrasound. I'm so excited to see this creature. We have decided not to find out the sex of the baby. I really want it to be a surprise and Ryan just doesn't have much say. He would like to know, but he's letting me make the final decision. We have been working on names this week. We're trying to get a list together of possibilities.

Tomorrow, I will post a picture of the belly. After May 19th, I will try to get the ultrasound picutres up too and let you know all about that fun-filled appointment.

Till then, I'll just keep growing!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

The Beginning

First of all, welcome to our family blog. This was Russ's idea:)


Ryan and I were married on July 5, 2008 in Pentwater Michigan. Ryan's Cross grandparents live in Pentwater and his parents have a vacation home there as well. Pentwater is a very special place for Ryan and I. Ryan proposed to me on the beach of Lake Michigan on a cool, damp, July day the year before. We love going to Pentwater to relax, stay up late, and sleep in.

Ryan and I are expecting our first baby in the beginning of October. Yeah! We are very excited. When I'm not feeling sick, I think being pregnant is pretty amazing. Lately there have not been too many amazing days though. I'm hoping that once we get settled into the second trimester that I will start to feel a lot better.

The latest pregnancy symptom has been waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back to sleep. I have recently been waking every morning between 3:30 and 4:00 am. I heard it is those darned hormone surges that will keep you awake.

Our first appointment with the midwife was on Monday. I decided to see a midwife instead of a doctor. The midwives are in the same office with the doctors and can do everything the doctors can do besides surgery. If I need to have a c-section, they will just call in one the the doctors. Anyway...I saw my midwife Jenny and she is great. We got to hear the baby's heart beat. It took a couple tries and a trip to the bathroom, but we heard the strong, fast beat. Jenny said it was about 160 bpm and sounded really good. Ryan and I didn't cry, but we sure couldn't stop smiling. I'm just glad there is actually a baby in there and not just weight gain. We see the midwife again in April.

Keep you posted!
Anne