18 weeks!

18 weeks now! I felt the first official kick last night while we were watching TV! It was awesome! I was just sitting there and all of a sudden felt a little kick and said "Oh my gosh! Bryan! I just felt a kick!" :) Today the baby has been more active than it's ever been--I felt it almost the whole day at work!!

Only a few more days till our ultrasound! Then we can see the little guy or girl and will hopefully get some ultrasound pics to post!!

Amazing!

17 Weeks

Only 10 days till we find out if we have a Mr. or Ms. Baby Strickland! Lots of guesses are pouring in and most people think it's a girl. I have had a few dreams so far but they have not given me any "feeling" either way. Right now, I'm sort of leaning toward it being a boy.

Names we have chosen:

Boy= William Harrison

Girl= Natalie Claire

And btw, my belly is growing at a RAPID pace.

I'm taking guesses now

So, with only 2 weeks till we find out the sex of the child growing inside of me, I thought it would be fun for people to make their own guesses on what I am having!
I will not have any fancy prizes for those of you who guess correctly, but heck, go for it anyway!
Make your guesses here! What do you have to lose? You've got a 50-50 chance!

16 weeks!!

Only 15 days till we find out what's growing inside of me!!

The pros and cons of pregnancy..and other thoughts.

Pros:

I have a whole human being inside of me, with a beating heart, brain, and lungs. And he or she has a little personality already. How cool is that!

I can feel little movements every now and then (no kicks yet!)

I don't have to hide that I'm gaining weight.

People always say I'm glowing and that pregnancy looks good on me.

My face is totally clear!

I get to buy tons of new clothes for myself.

My breasts are large. Way large.

People always ask how I'm feeling and genuinely want to hear the answer.

I have 3 months off with my baby to look forward to this summer. And Bryan will be off work too. Our little family--3 months together!

Cons:
I have to pee. A lot.

My nips itch and are dry.

I vomit without warning.

I can sleep for 13 hours and still wake up tired.

I eat all day and am still hungry.

I don't get to go to New York this summer with Bryan.

I have no idea what to expect along the way!

As you can see...the pros definitely outweigh the cons. I am loving being pregnant so far, despite my morning sickness that is still lingering into the second trimester. This journey is crazy indescribable and amazing....sorta overwhelming at times thinking about all I have to learn as a mother, but heck--life is a learning experience, so I'm ready to strap on for the ride!

13 week pic

For those of you who are not following my picture progression on MySpace, I have attached my 13 week pic. I'm popping out already!

Our 2nd Doctor's Appt! (And other updates)

Yay! So yesterday we had our 2nd doctor's appt. We came super close to having an ultrasound, but crap---all the ultrasound machines were in use at the time. :( BUT, we got the 2nd best thing! The heart monitor that let's us hear the baby's heart!! I laid flat and after a minute of searching for the little one, we got to hear the "woosh woosh woosh" of our little guy/girl's heart.

We also scheduled the "BIG" ultrasound for JANUARY 20!!!!! WOO! This is the appt where they look at all of the baby's organs etc. and where they can determine the sex! We are about 90% sure that we will find out the sex. But, I think we'll probably decide when we are there.

Other updates. Since last week, I've felt faint movement in my belly. I was VERY skeptical if this was the baby or not cause it is still so early, but I asked my midwife yesterday about it and she said it probably was the baby--it all depends on the location of the placenta and uterus. I'm narrow waisted, which means I might be able to feel it sooner than some others. This reassured me very much! It's such a wonderful sensation--sorta bubbly-like, and it only lasts for a second or more. I can't wait till I can feel the first kicks!

We are so blessed!!