Alright, My Heart has slowed down enough to Talk.

Hey everyone, So I guess you have all heard the news..... It's a Girl!!!!
It has taken my heart a day or so to slow back down to normal and not like I'm taking my last breaths. I now know how Jim fainted when Sunnie was born. I knew it was a little girl and I'm great with that, but I guess I was secretly wanting a boy first for some protection at school. Now it looks like I'm going to find the big bully in her school every year and pay him to beat up everyone that looks at my baby. You know she is going to have her mother's big gorgeous eyes that attract every scumbag in the world, I know.
I do appreciate everyone's kind words and advice, such as, ya better get your double barrel out of the closet and get it cleaned up and now your only job Matt is to keep that girl off the pole, thanks Chris G.
I know that she (my baby) will be incredible and will surprise me and have me wrapped around her finger in no time. When I called my dad (father of three boys) this week and told him, he told me I could do one of two things, learn from her cause he doesn't know anything about girls either, or go ahead and make her one hell of tomboy. I figure I can still teach her a little bit about the 3-4 defense and the Boys, Cowboys that is. What's really funny is how set my mother was that it was a boy, she even apologized to me and said '"I don't think you can have boys baby". (All boys on both sides of my family and one girl, crazy Courtney)
Daisy is getting used to "D the middle child" and not "Baby D" anymore.
Thanks everyone again for all the congrats and kind words.
I know she will be her own incredible little person.
P.S. Please send all gifts and cards to Homer, AK where I hear there are no little boys and I'm moving the family ;)

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

It's A Girl!!!

Opening Her Mouth!!

Skeleton Shot!!
Looking Right At You!
Her Face and Hand

We're having a girly girl!!! Wow, was today an amazing day!! I woke up this morning just as excited as I did on my wedding day knowing that Matt & I were going to find out the sex of our first child! I was actually even a bit nervous for some reason heading to the doctor's office. I think the anticipation has been building and we have been looking forward to this day with so much excitement. We met with a sonographer for our appointment and once she prepared the ultrasound on my stomach we got our first shot of The Bump. At first I wasn't really sure of what we were looking at until she said, "This is the rump here and the two legs...and did the two of you want to know the sex?" Uh yeah..of course we do!!! Hurry before we explode!!! It was at that moment that she told us we were going to have a little girl. Looking back, I am a tad bit embarrassed at the high-pitched shriek/sigh/tears that I let out at the moment she said "girl". Matt doesn't recall my shriek because I think he may have blacked out for a moment when he heard the word "girl" :) She instructed us that we were looking directly at the female genitalia, two straight lines arranged between her legs. Yep, definitely a girl.
So, we are proud to announce that The Bump is no longer just a bump, but our precious little girl. I've loved talking about her today saying "she is going to do this" or "we should get her this." Every moment we experience in our pregnancy seems to make it all the more real to us...that and the expanding waistline!
The sonographer appointment was really calming as well. We learned so much in such a little time about our little girl. She is VERY active, the sonographer kept chasing her movements and she would not stay still. She was opening and closing her hands, opening her mouth and swallowing, twisting and turning, sitting indian style at one point and doing everything a doctor wants to see during this specific ultrasound. The measurements of the heart, kidneys, liver, and stomach were all exactly where they should be and we were able to see the blood pumping through both umbilical arteries. The facial bone structure was proportional and they ruled out any signs of cleft palette, although as you can see in the pictures, it is a bit eerie to see your child in "skeleton" form! All wonderful signs to a parent though!
Lately, I have been telling Matt and my family that I swore that the baby was in my left abdomen. I've been feeling flutters and bubbles, faint but apparent, throughout my left side and I can't seem to lie on that side for too long. Sure enough, the sonographer confirmed that she is positioned with her head just to the left of my belly button and her body stretched down at an angle toward my left hip bone. She is pretty good size, around 7 inches right now!
We are so excited to be able to start to plan the nursery, pick a name and think about all of the grief we are going to give those little boys in 18 years.
Of course, that is, if Matt ever lets his little girl go on a date!!
Love to you all

17 Weeks and Counting!

The entire family spent the Labor Day weekend on a wonderful getaway in honor of our great friends Andrea & Christian. Well almost the entire family...we left the pups at home in great hands with Grammy! Matthew planned a Bachelor party in Puerto Penasco, Mexico and 16 of the guys headed down in RVs for a pre-wedding getaway. I planned Andrea's Bachelorette party in San Diego, CA and 15 ladies joined me to celebrate Andrea's last moments of single life! The weekend was definitely event filled, but every moment was a blast! We did everything from enjoying swanky dinners on the beach at Tower 23 Hotel to attending the Del Mar Racetrack in our fabulous hats. I was able to spend time with Beth, and she gave The Bump its first LJBTC onesie...so cute!

My belly is feeling the effects of our constant growing baby. The stretching and pulling in my abdominal muscles this week has, at times, been a bit unbearable. I will never complain about the aftermath of doing too many sit ups again!! I can feel my bones and muscles moving and stretching to make room for the little one!! I am amazed at the sudden roundness of my belly and I think I am to the point that I am about to...POP!

The Bump is about 5 inches long-about the size of an onion-and weighs about 5 ounces. The umbilical cord is growing stronger by the day and the cartilage is beginning to harden into the 300 bones it will have at birth.

I am beginning to feel the light flutters in my belly from the baby's movements and I am really looking forward to our doctor's appointment on Monday, September 10th. This specific doctor's appointment is with a sonographer for our BIG ultrasound, as Dr. Spoon called it. I have to drink tons of water before the ultrasound and she will measure the baby's size, proportion and gender! Yes!! We are finally going to find out The Bump's sex...which we are SO excited about. So, you all have an announcement to look forward to next week...can't wait to tell you all the big news and solve all of your predictions!!

Until then....All Our Love XOXO

16 Weeks Already!...And Still Counting!!

Happy 4 Months Bump! Well, I was hoping to surprise you all with the news that we are having either a precious little girl or boy but Dr. Spoon is teaching Matt and I some patience and making us wait two more weeks!! Our prenatal appointment this last week was somewhat uneventful, but as they say, no news is good news. We did hear the heartbeat again and it was SO much stronger than our last appointment. He set the Doppler on my slightly protruding belly (see the 1st of many belly pictures to come) and we heard the heartbeat immediately. Loud and fast. The first time we heard the heartbeat Dr. Spoon had to position the Doppler just right to hear the faint beat of the Bump's heart. And of course, it made us grin from ear to ear just to hear the signs that our little one is still progressing wonderfully.
My stomach has just started to round a bit...it does take some getting used to! Suddenly my favorite outfits are being pushed to the back of my closet...and also my favorite shoes!! Aaaahh!!! Y'all know how much I love my shoes. Yes, your feet do grow a bit during pregnancy so, not only does your wardrobe give you a 360 degree muffin top but your feet look like they have been stuffed into those great heels that you really don't want to give up! The greatest thing about that belly though, no matter how much you love those jeans, is that the bigger I get the more of a daily reminder I can see in myself that I have a miracle on the way. Each time you look at yourself in the mirror, there is a daily reminder..."Hi Mom, I'm in here" I just LOVE it!! Matt likes to pat the Bump and tells me daily how wonderful and beautiful I'm looking with my little belly...I love him for that every day :)
The Bump has had a big week this week...the rate of growth just seems to double every week. It is amazing! Our little one is now about 4 and a half inches long..about the size of an avocado...and although the Bump's eyes are closed they are slowly moving around. The heart is pumping 25 quarts of blood per day, circulating the total blood volume through its body a couple times a day. The patterning of the scalp is forming although the hair is not visible yet, we'll see if the Bump gets Matt's double cowlick! I can definitely feel the increase in growth because the ligaments and muscles on the sides and bottom of my tummy ache constantly. It feels like everything is stretching! In the next three weeks the Bump will double in weight and gain many more inches!
Hello Belly...Goodbye Feet!!

Hello 2nd Trimester!

Hello everyone and we're so happy to be announcing that we have entered our 2nd trimester feeling great! I'm beginning to feel sensations throughout the night in my stomach and it's such a strange feeling to begin realizing that soon I will be feeling kicks and flutters from The Bump's movements. The Bump is about three and a half inches long-about the size of a lemon-and its body is beginning to catch up to its tiny head, which up to this point has been much bigger than the body as you an see in the previous ultrasound pictures. The liver and spleen are functioning fully and The Bump has developed an ultra-fine downy covering all over its body....peach fuzz! The most amazing fact we learned this week is that the brain impulses affecting the facial muscles are working so normally that our little lemon is frowning, grimacing and squinting.
Matt laughs at me because each night our dinner is a surprise to him, whether he is craving something or not...whatever I may be craving on the way home usually wins! Monday night it was fajitas and oatmeal raisin cookies. Yum!! And I'm talking fajitas WITH oatmeal raisin cookies....together...the cookies didn't make it to dessert!
We are really hoping that this coming Monday at our 3rd prenatal appt that we may get lucky and find out the gender of The Bump. I just can't imagine the moment when we hear "It's A..." You know you'll hear all about it in our blog because if it's anything like seeing and hearing the heartbeat for the first time or taking home the first ultrasound pictures to show off our little addition, it will be amazing and one of the most memorable moments in our lives!
Love to you all and hope to have some new pictures for you all to see next week of The Bump....either sporting a football or ballet shoes! But let's be honest, even if we're having a girl she'll be wearing a jersey and pads when I leave her with Daddy!

13 Weeks and Counting!

What a great week! We are finally at the end of our first trimester and feeling happy, healthy, and just a wee bit bigger!

Matt has been keeping this last weekend a secret from me...telling me that he had a surprise date in store for me to celebrate the end of the first trimester! We also wanted to enjoy some time before Matt headed into knee surgery. My wonderful husband not only treated me to an amazing and romantic dinner at Ruth Chris' Steakhouse but it was followed by great seats at the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. I'm so spoiled :) We had a blast and the couple sitting next to us proved the Chinese Calendar wrong!! We were chatting with them and the Chinese calendar was a positive that their little one on the way was a girl...and they ended up having a little boy! So, we'll see. Our prediction with the calendar is a girl...and of course we've been convinced the Chinese calendar is always right...well at least up until now!

The Bump is almost three inches this week..about the size of a jumbo shrimp. It's one of a kind fingerprints have formed...we're looking forward to all those tiny hand prints and finger painting...on the walls! The Bump has fully formed and most of the critical development period is over beginning this week...we feel so blessed and lucky to have not had any complications during the last three months. It is such a happy feeling that God has given us a healthy little addition to our family that continues to grow more and more every day....leaving Mom and Dad to enjoy the pregnancy with little worry! The Bump is continuing to swallow amniotic fluid but has now began to flush the fluid through fully functional kidneys. It's just amazing to us that all of this is going on in a tiny three inch miracle!

Matt had his 2nd knee surgery this morning to repair torn cartilage and he did wonderfully...we've got to get him rehabbed and back to 100% before the baby comes because we know that neither of us will be getting much rest at all! We hope you all are enjoying all of our updates. As we enter our 2nd trimester watch for kicks & belly flutters, the boy-girl question answered, and a bigger bump!