Sorry I haven't been keeping everyone as updated as I would like. Things have been a little busy as it gets closer to the end of the year. Luke and I moved into a 2 bed/2 bath apartment a couple weeks ago, to make more room for the baby, so we've been a little preoccupied getting the place all organized and decorated for the holidays!

Luke was very happy to hear we were having a boy!

As most of you have seen or heard by now, we are having a boy and are very glad we found out. (In case any of you are wondering, not only did Luke and I find out, but we also purchased a dining table!) I just wanted to say that the whole experience having the ultrasound was amazing, for Luke and I. It was so cute to see him moving around, sucking his thumb- we can already tell he's really taking after Luke :) Although I caught a glimpse of his nose and swear he has my nose, haha poor guy. So it was a wonderful day and everything has been going fairly well since then.

side profile of him sucking his thumb- sorry it's so hard to see

Once I hit the 6th month I could really feel a difference however. I've been really slowing down, I'm feeling him move all the time, and it's been a little hard sleeping, but overall everything is normal and going well. People in public have started noticing I'm pregnant, and so it's nice to be recognized as pregnant rather than just chunky looking!

I promise I will get more pictures up soon, as soon as I take some, so you all can see how big I've gotten! Even though I'm showing, everyone says I still look really small, so I guess that's a good thing, but there's still lots of time for that to change!

We're having a...

Halfway!

Me at 20 weeks- halfway there!

Thank you all for voting on the poll, it's been fun to see what you all think! So here are the updates on our little debate-

I tried to make a compromise with Luke that if he got his way and we decided not to find out the sex of the baby, then I wanted a dining room table and coffee table in return. I thought that was fair enough and I was actually starting to think I could wait, especially if I got my tables out of it! But besides the tables, I thought it was an easy enough sacrifice to make if it made Luke more excited about it all. But after Luke thought about it for a week or so he said he'd rather find out the sex of the baby then have to have a coffee table! He really doesn't want one yet!

So now we've almost done a 180 because Luke is now willing to find out and I almost don't just because I've been in the mind set of not finding out and have already told some people we might wait!

So our first ultrasound is scheduled for Friday, Nov 7 so we have a little under 2 weeks to decide if we want to find out or not. So we will keep you all updated! However, in case we decide to find out I thought it would be fun for you all to have a chance to predict if you think we are going to have a girl or boy. I personally have noo idea or feeling what it is, and I'd be happy with either, of course. But I did find it interesting that a couple nights ago Luke and I both had a dream that we saw an ultrasound and it was a boy. Haha so take it how you want, but I'd love to see what you all think, and we'll eventually see who's right! So you can vote on the poll but if you want me to know your personal guess then leave a comment so I know what you think!

You can see my bump from the front now

The Debate

So it seems the main difference in opinion that Luke and I have had is if we should find out if the baby is a boy or girl or wait until it is born. I was pretty surprised when Luke suggested we wait to find out- he feels it would be more "exciting". And while I see how it could be more exciting to wait to find out for the first baby, I don't feel that I would be excited if I had to wait! So we still have come to no conclusion and if we wanted to find out then we could in about a month. So I need some help! Not that it would change Luke's mind, or mine, but I would like you all to vote for whether you think we should find out if it is a boy or girl. And it's all anonymous, I'm just curious to see what others think about this. So go to the poll on the side and let me know!

Do I look fat?

Me at 15 weeks

Last week I was walking through Kohls and went past a mirror and happened to catch a glance of myself from the side and I swore I looked fatter. So since then I've constantly been checking myself out and trying to see if it looks like im showing. No one else has seemed to think so but I definetly see a very tiny hump! I almost want to show, it seems all fun and exciting. But I know I'll have plenty of time for that and I'll probably hate it later. I'm just at that weird middle stage still so I guess I'm just getting anxious! And so even though I feel so much bigger and different I still haven't gained a pound...I guess I can be patient with that..

Months 2-3

One of the first hard decisions I felt that I had to make was to find a good doctor since I haven't had one since we've been in Denver. After talking to some friends in the area and researching I finally decided to go with a midwife group. I guess I liked the idea that they would be with me through the whole 9 months and at the birth, and I liked the motherly feel that these midwives had. I can tell that they will be interested in my best interest, and so far its gone well.

My first doctor visit was August 14- so the most important thing was they were able to officially inform me that I was indeed pregnant. My due date is March 16, about what I had thought. They also did all the normal tests and preocedures, but the hard part for me was when they had to draw all the blood at the end. I didn't realize that it was already about noon and I hadn't eaten much all day. So on my way checking out of the office I got all lightheaded and almost passed out because of all the blood that was taken. But the midwives were all so nice in rushing to help me with water, laid me down in another bed, and even brought me food from their own lunches so that I could quickly recover. About a half hour later I was fine and on my way back to work.

I just had my second visit on September 11, a little over 3 months along. Luke was planning on coming with me to this visit but at somewhat last minute had arrangements to go out of town for a couple days that week for work and so he missed the appointment. But there wasn't too much going on- except for hearing the heartbeat, which was really neat! This is all new to me so it was exciting, sounded like a little dishwasher in my belly. They said its heartbeat was 150 beats per minute. I guess I was hoping for some personal revelation or something that when I would hear the heartbeat I would feel if it was a girl or boy- but nothing. I still have no idea what to think. But as for now I am just glad things are going along well and the baby is healthy.

The News

So Luke and I are pregnant! We found out on Sunday, July 27 using a home test. It was so exciting I wanted a picture of it saying "pregnant" so people could see what I saw and how I felt! I couldn't believe it!


One unfortunate thing about the timing was that my family had been visiting in Denver just the week before and so I missed the chance of telling them all in person! But Julia was still around when I first started feeling signs of morning sickness. Going to Elitch Gardens may not have been a good idea- I had a harder time than normal on the rides, and still felt sick from the rides the next morning when I had to take Julia to the airport... soo I finally put it all together.



But after finding out I still could only wait 2 days until I called my family at home in Maryland. About 2 weeks later I emailed James on his mission in CA and let him in on the big news, and later that week after Erika got settled in from getting home from China I was able to finally fill in my sister! A couple weeks later Luke's parents were able to come visit us for a short weekend but was worth it since we used the opportunity to tell them the good news in person.


So it's been a fun past couple months being able to share our news and get excited about it with family and friends. This past Mother's Day I gave a talk in church on how I have been preparing for motherhood and so now I hope I'm ready! Thank goodness I still have a little more time to prepare mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for this new experience to become a mother and a parent. :)