Name the bell pepper!

We are at 18 weeks!  The baby, according to babycenter.com, is the size of a bell pepper (about 5-5 1/2 inches) head to bottom.  My Friday "weigh-ins", where I log my weight for the week, are becoming less fun.  I'm at +11.5 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight.  I started walking more this week with some other moms in the neighborhood.  Hopefully, that will curb the speedy weight gain I'm experiencing.  Labor Day weekend filled with bratwursts, burgers and BBQ probably did not help matters either.

We are wide open to name ideas!!  Please, email me or add name ideas in the comments.  Some popular selections (could be middle, could be first) thus far are August (Eric's great-grandpa), Ryder (as in "Ryder Cup", Lindsey U's suggestion) and William (after Dad).  Yes, all boy names.  Motherly instinct (if I can have that yet) has led me to believe this is a boy all along.  We find out soon!

Put on your big girl pants!

Gone are the days of tucking in shirts and sitting comfortable in my normal clothes.  Its hard to believe that 8 lbs (3.6 kilos for my friends in Germany) can put you into maternity clothes, but I am almost there.  I made it through the week with my bigger sizes, dresses and today a stretchy skirt (God bless casual Friday).  I found a good shirt (deep in the closet) that I plan to wear for each "belly shot" so we can see how this little baby grows. 

Apart from the expanding waste line, which Eric constantly reminds me is a good thing, everything is going well.  The office is about 50% complete- new desk painted, file cabinets purchased- now we have to paint!  Once we know what this little baby is, for sure, we'll move to the nursery project.

Happy Labor Day!

Legs crossed for good luck!

Our appointment went well today.  The doctor spent a lot of time with us answering my questions and checking on "Hitch", as we have affectionately named the little hitch-hiking baby in my stomach.  All of the genetic tests came back negative... no downs, fragile x, cystic fibrosis, etc.  We had an ultrasound to confirm everything was ok from the cyst episode, which was a relief.  Hitch had its legs crossed today during the ultrasound (as you see above).  The tech could not tell if the baby was a boy or girl due to how it was laying.  We did get to see cord development, the brain, both kidneys and heart.  Our next appointment is September 22nd.  We will get a close up look at all of the organs and they will definitely tell us the gender at that time.  Below is a picture of the profile... that's not a big ear- that's the brain!  Again, sorry the pictures are poor quality, but they are pictures of pictures.  You get the idea.  Please keep us in your prayers!

St John (VI) Vacation

Brian, Liz, Eric and I went to St John last week on vacation.  We spent the week in a villa overlooking Devers Bay (Chocolate Hole).  We enjoyed a boating trip to the British Virgin Islands (snorkeled around some caves, cocktails at the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke, lunch on a "pirate ship"), a kayaking/snorkeling excursion, yoga (twice!), and the Reef Bay hike with the National Park Service (through the "tropical forest", visited an old sugar cane mill, finished with boat ride along southern coast of St John- we drove by our villa).  We had a great trip!

I have my next appointment tomorrow.  Fingers crossed they can see the baby's gender.  We will definitely need an ultrasound, as I had another cyst rupture last Friday and it was CRAZY painful.  I know they will want to check on the little baby to make sure all is ok.

IntelliGender Test

People say being a parent teaches them many things, including the all important life lesson of patience.  I expect that will come later for me, as I am so excited about this little baby that last night Eric and I bought the IntelliGender Test at CVS (thus the lack of patience... I cannot wait until our 20 week US).  The test is a urine test that tells the gender of your baby with 80-90% accuracy, or so I heard online.  The printed materials that came with the test do not make any claim to accuracy, but that is what CNN and "The Doctors" You Tube clips claim.  We did the test first thing this morning, per the instructions and.... drum roll... it said BOY (the dark green color in the picture-- it would have been orange if it was a girl)!!!  Looks like the Chinese Calendar could be wrong for this baby!!  Next test... the wedding ring+string test.  I'll post that later this week. 

Only 3 days until our vacation with Brian and Liz!  St. John here we come.

Chinese Gender Calendar

Most of you have heard about the Chinese Gender Calendar from friends who swear by it.  I have heard mostly accurate reviews.  It is funny to think that the lunar calendar plays a role in a baby's gender.  Here's a link to one of the many you can find online.  It says girl for Baby Larson... my money is on boy!  Please vote on the poll and let me know what you think.  My next ultra sound is not until 20 weeks, but the doctor may take a look at 16 weeks to see if they can tell.  I can't wait!!  Also, please email/post comments with name ideas!!  Boy or girl... I am open to all! (FYI, I'm 28 and the miracle happened in May)

http://pregnancyandbaby.sheknows.com/pregnancy/baby/Chinese-conception-gender-chart-9.htm

Another picture from last week

I apologize for the not so great quality, but here is a cell phone picture of a picture from last week's ultrasound.  If you look closely, you can see the baby's little nose.