We Are Having A...........

I went to the doctor today with Michael, my mom, and Lisa. It was a fun visit. We got to see the baby moving, the heart beat, and the spine. There is a cool feature where we could see the blood in color (blue and red) moving through the baby. The baby has grown a lot since the last ultrasound (and so has my stomach). The baby is also very active...I wonder what that will mean once the baby is born.

Okay, okay enough with the fluff. We're having a girl! After watching the baby for about 45 minutes the technician told us to go ahead and paint the room pink. None of us saw anything to indicate that it's a boy...so here we go! 71% of you that voted are correct.

Be on the look out for more polls. We might need some help with our little girl's name and we'll have some other fun polls along the way also.

We are so excited about the baby. The best news we got today was that the baby seems to be growing healthy and strong.

Merry Christmas

I somehow missed sending out Christmas cards this year so I wanted to wish all of my friends and family who read this blog a Merry Christmas!

It's almost Wednesday

I'm 19 weeks today and I woke up with a sense of excitement. I've been feeling what I think is the baby off and on all morning. I love that feeling. I can't wait for my next ultrasound on Wednesday. I think I might even be more excited about seeing the baby again than I am for Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I'm VERY excited about Christmas...it's just that I get to find out the sex of my baby on Wednesday!

Do you think it's a boy or a girl?

Michael and I are taking a poll to see if you think we are having a boy or a girl (it's on the right side under the links).

I'm going in for my ultrasound next Wednesday the 27th. Be sure to get your vote in before then! I'll make the announcement when we find out. Let's just hope the baby is in a good position...

I've Added Photos

I have added a link (to the right) labeled "My Pictures". If you click on it you can see pictures as I update them. I have had requests to keep adding pictures...I promise I'll try!

Check out the "My Pictures" link and enjoy!

Triple Screen Test Results

I received the results from my triple screen blood test taken during my last doctor visit -- everything looks normal.

This is a blood test that measures three hormones produced by my baby which are passed along to my bloodstream. They are the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), hCG, and estriol.

If the blood levels had been elevated it could me that my baby was at an increased risk of having a neural tube defect such as spina bifida. Low levels could mean an increased risk of Down syndrome.

I felt the baby?

This morning while I was at work I sneezed. Those of you who have had the pleasure of being near me when I sneeze understand that it causes a full body convulsion and is often a dramatic experience (I don't sneeze often, but when I do it's unfortunately not a dainty, little "Krista sneeze").

As soon as I sneezed I felt quite a fluttering sensation from behind my belly button. I'm pretty sure I felt the baby move! So, I probably either scared the baby or woke him/her up. Regardless, it was AWESOME.

I hope I get to have more "Hi mom!" sensations really soon.