One excitement after another

It sure seems like a lot has gone on since last time I posted! Where do I begin...

1) First, I'll start with the fact that I have been feeling baby Langham a little more now. When I say "a little more" that's exactly what I mean... though it's been exciting, I want to feel her more often! It's been fun at night to lay down and try to feel the little flutters, but I'm ready to feel her move during the day when I'm not expecting it. (Someone be sure to remind me of this post when she's kicking my ribs in a few months.) I have to admit that it's probably not good being an L&D nurse while you're pregnant -- I tend to worry more than I should. Everyone keeps telling me how they felt their baby move around 16 weeks, and here I am at 20w5d and still barely feeling her. So, leave it to mom.... I'd go a day or so and not feel anything and then start worrying, so my mom surprised me with a rent-by-the-month doppler. Isn't that hysterical? She rented it this month, and I figure by next month I'll be feeling baby more so we can quit the rental. :) But it has been so much fun letting my family hear the heartbeat!

2) Another fun baby adventure...registering! Jay and I went to Burlington last Friday to start putting some things on a registry, but unfortunately their system was down. So we'll have to do that one another time. However, my crib mattress came in at Ladies in Waiting yesterday, so my mom & I went and picked it up while she was out running around in the SUV. Crib mattresses are larger than you think! And while we were there..... I decided to go ahead and register! I figured Jay wouldn't mind if I registered at that particular store without him. It was so much fun!!! I can hardly wait to register some more!

3) Next on the baby adventure list: We picked a name for baby girl Langham! After hours and hours of playing with baby name books and baby name websites, Jay ended up being the brains behind our name decision. He pulled both the first and middle name out of thin air, and for the past few weeks we've been testing it out. We even spent last Friday night throwing out other names, but we both just kept going back to this one. So here ya go...We've had fun calling her by name instead of "it" or "baby" -- she finally has a name!

Braylin Paige Langham

4) I ordered the crib bedding! So excited and can hardly wait for it to come in. I know, I know...it's only September, but I can hardly wait to see how everything looks together. Still need to pick a wall paint because the current wall color doesn't do much for the bedding I chose. But here are my pattern colors. I need Aunt Jennifer to hurry up and make a trip up here to help me with her niece's nursery!!!!

5) Today's baby update: We had our detailed anatomical ultrasound this morning, and everything looked great. The ultrasound tech measured the fluid levels, measured the organs and bones, confirmed again that it's a girl, and said Braylin looks good and healthy! She weighs 15 ounces. Now we'll just keep watching her grow each month!

20 weeks

We're half way thru! I can't believe how fast time has flown by. It seems like it wasn't too long ago that we found out we were pregnant, and now look at us.... twenty weeks along! We go to the doctor on Thursday for the anatomical ultrasound. So excited about that! The ultrasound tech will do a detailed ultrasound to make sure everything is looking good at this point. They let us bring a VHS tape and DVD disk to put in the ultrasound machine to record it all, so I'm thrilled about that! What an awesome thing to have recorded!

Here's the 20 week excerpt from "What to Expect When You're Expecting":
You've got a baby the size of a small cantaloupe in your melon-size belly this week, about 10 ounces and 6.5 inches crown to rump. Your ultrasound this month should be able to detect whether your baby is a boy or a girl (it's a girl!). And oh girl, that baby has been busy. If you're having a girl, her uterus is fully formed, her ovaries are holding about 7million eggs, and her vaginal canal is starting to develop. (I'm skipping the "boy" information.) Luckily for your baby, she still has plenty of room in your womb, which means there's plenty of space for twisting, turning, kicking, punching, and even an occasional somersault. If you haven't felt these acrobatics yet, you almost certainly will in the coming weeks.

Baby shopping....I can't seem to stop!

It's so crazy how knowing the gender makes it all seem so much more real. I admire those who wait to find out at delivery if they're having a boy or girl, but God just didn't give me that quality of patience. It's been so much fun knowing what I'm shopping for!

Spent Friday with Jay running around to a few baby stores, then Jay had to go paint a room at his parent's house so I joined my parents and we went & played at Burlington. We had fun figuring out the stroller travel systems -- glad my dad was there to figure out how they work! For those of you with babies, what type of stroller did you end up getting? I'm trying to decide between Graco and Chicco.

Then I spent Saturday with Jay's mom running by Ladies in Waiting and Carter's. We had a fun day and came home with lots of baby clothes. All of which happen to be pink. :) My mom had been to Toy Fair that day, and she couldn't resist the urge to buy -- so baby girl Langham got even MORE clothes that were adorable! I've had so much fun going in the nursery and looking at it all!

Looking forward to my fabric swatches coming in the mail tomorrow so I can finalize my crib bedding pattern. Hope it's as cute as the magazine/website shows! It's so nice having a sister who's a designer -- makes this nursery decorating so much more fun!

IT'S A GIRL !!!!!!!!!

We had an ultrasound today, and it's definitely a GIRL!!!!! We are so excited. I apologize in advance that this is short & sweet, but I'm working this weekend... so just got home a little while ago, calling family, grabbing a bite of supper and having to get to bed early to start an early work day tomorrow. But I'll post a better one tomorrow night or Monday. We are just so so so excited!!!!! Time to work on names and start buying pink stuff. :)

Saints Baby

My mom gave Jay this adorable burp cloth just in time for the big game last Sunday. Isn't it adorable?! I'm sure it brought the team good luck since they happened to pull thru at the end and beat Tampa Bay. Whether it's a boy or girl, baby Langham will drool black and gold.

(FYI: she got it from The Monogram Pear)

I felt Baby Langham!

The day finally came! I have been trying for a few weeks to really try and feel baby Langham move around, but I just wasn't having any luck. Until two night ago. I was lying in bed reading my new book and what-do-ya-know... I felt a little flutter. Then yesterday evening I felt an even more apparent movement. Unfortunately it's still a little too early for Jay to get to feel anything, so for now I just have to try to describe it to him. But for those of you who have had babies, how in the world do you describe it?! It's such an unbelievable feeling. A little flutter here, a little turning feeling there...whatever the case, I am so excited!

More exciting news: a friend of mine, Rebecca, found out yesterday that they are having a boy, which officially means that the Chinese Calendar was wrong. :) Congrats Rebecca and Bryan!

We are in the 5th month now! Time is flying by! Now for my weekly update... here's the 18 week info from "What to Expect When..."
At 5.5 inches long and about 5 ounces in weight (as much as that chicken breast you're having for dinner but a lot cuter), your baby is filling out nicely and getting large enough that you might even be feeling those twists, rolls, kicks, and punches he or she is perfecting. (yippy! I can feel that now!) Another set of skills your baby is mastering now is yawning and hiccuping (you might even begin to feel those hiccups soon). And your one-of-a-kind baby is truly one of a kind now, complete with unique fingerprints on his/her fingertips and toes.

Feeling GREAT

Heather gave me "The Pregnancy Book", and I've had so much fun reading thru it. It's right-on with how I'm feeling starting month #5. Several people told me that you feel like your old self again during the second trimester, and it's so true! I have way more energy than I did, I'm not having to eat every hour to fill my tummy, no more headaches, and the list goes on. I feel great! Now if only I could kick this sweets craving I have at all hours of the day.

The book starts my next chapter with the title "The Fifth Month - Obviously Pregnant". And that's so true too! Or at least I feel like it. My clothes are sticking out over my pregnant pooch, and I love it! I think I'm moving on past the "is she pregnant or just ate a gigantic meal?" phase and moving into the "I think she's pregnant" phase.

The Monogram Pear

We have some friends, Katie and her mom Kak, who started a fun business! If you're looking for some really super cute monogrammed things, be sure to check out themonogrampear.blogspot.com. I've already had way too much fun picking out stuff for baby Langham! They've got some adorably creative things.

17 Weeks with Nursery Furniture

So it's only Sept 2nd, and we already have our nursery furniture!!! I know, I know... it's a little early. But once we picked out what we wanted, the lady at the store said it was a popular design and may take longer than usual (12 weeks or so). Four weeks later, our furniture is in! I have to say, however, that I absolutely LOVE already having it in the nursery. I cleaned it all up a few nights ago and started putting some things away, and now I can't quit going in there and just sitting on the floor to stare at it all. Can hardly wait to get bedding and other baby stuff to fill it all up!

Also, for all of you Kobi lovers out there, I have good news. Mom, Jen and I plugged in the CD player in the nursery yesterday and turned on the "Dog Meet Baby" CD. After a few sniffs and paws at the player, the baby sounds didn't even bother Kobi. Matter of fact, he ended up curling up on the floor by the CD player. So I think there's hope! :)

I cannot believe how much I'm starting to show! It sure seems like in the past week my belly has really started to shoot out. I LOVE IT!!!! I just wish I could feel baby move! I keep trying and trying but just can't seem to feel her/him yet. I'm so ready to feel that first flutter!

Here's our 17 week post from "What to Expect When You're Expecting"
Take a look at your hand. Your baby is about palm-size now, with a crown-to-rump length of 5 inches and an approximate weight of 5 (or more) ounces. Body fat is beginning to form, but your little one is still quite skinny, with skin that is practically translucent. This week, your baby is all about practice, practice, practice in preparation for birth. One important skill baby is sharpening now: sucking and swallowing - to get ready for that first (and second...and third) suckle at breast or bottle. Your baby's heart rate is regulated by the brain (no more spontaneous beats) and clocks in at 140 to 150 beats per minute (roughly twice your own heart rate).