Hello, Baby!

Guess what? We had another snow day today! Incapable of staying home and waiting for our first ultrasound for another minute, I called to see if there was a cancellation at my OBGYN. I called bright and early at 8am and (wouldn't you know it) there was an opening at 9:15! I called Matt, ecstatic, and he answered his phone with an equal amount of enthusiasm. After successfully showering, make-upping, blow drying and dressing, I met Matt at the doctors office.

It was the longest 30 minute wait EVER! I could see my nerves like a reflection in Matt's face. This was the moment of truth. We so badly we're hoping to see a heart beat today. Finally, my name was called and we headed back to begin the ultrasound process.

With another 10 minute wait ahead of us, Matt and I decided to take a photo shoot in the room with the "TURN OFF CELL PHONE" sign. :)

Before to long, we were busted by the nurse midwife! After a few questions, she began the internal ultrasound. Right away, we could see our baby, which looked like a little white bean in a dark black hole. I saw something flickering in the center of the baby. Before she could mention it, I asked "is that the heart beat?" Sure enough it was!! She zoomed in closer to the baby to collect measurements. Based on the measurements, we were a week earlier than expected, which aligned perfectly with the day that we originally thought we had conceived. Our little bean measured in at 6 weeks and 3 days old, changing my due date to September 22! 

Here's a closer look at our little one on his or her first sonogram.

At six weeks, our baby's heart beat was fluttering away at 120 beats per minute! The yolk sac looked healthy and my blood flow was good. I haven't even told you the coolest part yet... Next thing you know, we heard a fast-paced thump thump, thump thump, thump thump! The midwife was able to let us hear the baby's heart beat! This was by far the most incredible part of the entire visit. It was as if the baby knew we were listening in and wanted to tell us that he or she is doing just fine down there. It makes me smile (and cry!) just thinking about it. It was just the reassurance that we were looking for!

After my lab work, we were headed on our way with our complimentary gift bag from the doctors at Augusta Health. It's contents can be seen in the pictures below.

What a wonderful first visit with our baby-to-be! We will see him or her again on February 25, when I'm 10 weeks pregnant. 

As far as pregnancy symptoms go, I'm hanging in there! I'm not physically ill, but I'm nauseous and crampy at times due to my quickly expanding uterus. Water seems to help! Each time I start to feel frustrated, I remind myself of what it all means...that our baby is growing and healthy. A strange, new pregnancy symptom arrived this week...smells! EVERYTHING smells funny to me! I'm smelling things that I've never noticed before, including sweat at the gym, people's gum, and stinky children's sneakers. Everything makes my stomach turn, even things that I used to like to smell like the smell of dinner (especially chicken and leftovers). Hopefully, like my tender ta-tas, this too shall pass!

Love you, my little bean. Keep growing big and strong!

XOXO,

Mom 

Yet Another Snow Day

This is my third snow day this week, so I figured I'd be productive and write my week 6 pregnancy post.  :)

No changes to report in terms of the way that I am feeling so far!  Of course, I'm sure it helps that I've been lying around doing NOTHING for the past three days.  Ok, they haven't been a complete and total waste of time.  I worked up the energy to clean out our old office (except for the desk) and box up all of my school supplies.  We're working towards converting that room into a nursery.  My vision is an all-white nursery with subtle pops of color.  Here's a picture of the room in it's current, not so nursery-like, condition.

We found a nursery suite that we love at Target, which is awfully convenient considering Matt will be able to use his employee discount.  On Wednesday afternoon we found some time to take a "pre-bump" photo shoot with my positive pregnancy test.  I was inspired to take a series of three photos from a pin on Pinterest.  Here's the first photo of the series.  The next picture will be me holding my belly and the last picture will be me holding our baby.  The idea of holding him or her is still so surreal!

 

I say "pre-bump," but I'm pretty sure that I'm starting to sport a teensy weensy baby belly.  The pregnancy books say that it's likely gas, and it is more defined when I have to pee, but what do you think?  Of course, I had to beautify it with a new app on my cell phone.  :)

 

 

I cannot believe our first doctors appointment is in 8 days!  My birthday is in one week and it will be the perfect gift to see our little one on the dating sonogram.  I'm secretly hoping to see a heart beat, but I know that it isn't always that easy to see this early on.  Hey, a girl can hope, right?  Matt and I are planning to share the news with our friends the following weekend up at the cabin for our joint birthday party.  I'm so excited to spill the beans, but I will feel even more comfortable sharing the news after we see the doctor.  Wish us luck!

 

 

Dear Baby,

 

We've known about you for a few weeks now and we're already so excited to meet you!  You give me butterflies every time I think of you.  I wear a permanent smile on my face.  All of the changes and fears that I have about pregnancy are washed away when I think about holding you in my arms.

 

We love you already,

Mom & Dad



The Name Game

Having spent the last two days at home, catching up on sleep during snow days, I've had plenty if time to think about baby names. :) 

Relatively sure about our baby's first name, either Harper or Jack, middle names have been a bit more challenging. As of today, after confirming with our families, Matt and I are locking in Jack Elliot Stowell as our little boy's full name. 

Should our baby be a little girl, we are still  thinking Harper Leigh. 

That's the latest play in the Stowell Baby Name Game! We'll keep you posted. :)

XoXo

Home is Where the Heart Is

Week five has come and gone and it's finally sinking in that, yes, I'm pregnant!  Having two days off of school helped me find the time to wrap my head around the news and get excited.  Thankfully, I have been sleeping much better and I'm free of most pregnancy symptoms- aside from frequent visits to the bathroom and tender tatas.  :) 

Matt and I were fortunate enough to be able to head home to Maryland for the weekend.  We spent Friday evening with my family and joined Matt's family at their cabin in West Virginia on Saturday night.  It was the first time that we've all gotten together since the news of our positive pregnancy test.  Throughout the night, the girls shared pregnancy and baby stories while the guys discussed embarrassing gym stories and survival skills. 

We walked away from the trip back home feeling even more excited than before!  We're blessed to have such a wonderful and supportive family.  In fact, with the help of our parents, we decided on tentative baby names.  Here is goes!

Little Girl:  Harper Leigh
Little Boy:  Jack Tyler

While playing around on thebump.com, my mother and I found an ancient Chinese gender chart.  Based on my age, 24, and the month of conception, December, the chart predicted that we are going to have a bouncing baby boy.  My mother-in-law and father seem to believe just the opposite- they're certain we're having a girl.  Only time will tell!  I'm hoping to be able to find out by the end of March or the middle of April.

Last week, week five, our baby was the size of an orange seed.  This week, week six, our baby is the size of a sweet pea.  I can't believe how quickly he or she is growing.  I keep thinking that I'm sporting a tiny belly, but I'm pretty sure it's just gas... lovely, right?  I'm counting down the days to our first doctors appointment and sonogram- 11 days to be exact.  We're halfway through the first trimester and so far, so good!

I'm looking forward to meeting you, sweet pea!  :)
Mom

Perfectly, Positively, Pregnant!

Hello, everyone!  Thank you for visiting our blog.  Three days ago, on January 9, 2014, I came home from work and decided to take a pregnancy test.  I wasn't late, I simply didn't get my "gift from mother nature" on the day that I usually do- the 9th day of the month.  After fumbling through the directions for the test, I stepped out of the bathroom to wait for the recommended three minutes (which felt like three hours) of time.  I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary when I returned, simply a little piece of mind that my "gift" was on it's way.  What I saw, however, was a BIG surprise!

It was the faintest positive, plus sign EVER!  However, in the history of our pregnancy scares, not once had I seen this extra vertical line before.  I raced out of the bathroom and called my husband in hysterics.  He didn't answer!  He was still at work.  Needing to properly freak out and vent, I called my mother.  She talked me down and asked me to send her a picture of the results.  After receiving the image she called me back and reassured me that it was nothing.  This made my heart beat slow down enough to call my husband and deliver the news in a sane fashion.  We decided that we would take one more pregnancy test in the morning the following day.

That evening, I had a terrible time staying asleep!  Something inside of me was shouting "Positive!  Positive!  Positive!"  I put my mind to rest from 10:30-3:45, then shot out of bed.  It was time.  I woke up my husband and we took the second pregnancy test; early in the morning, just like the directions read.  This time, three minutes later, the results were perfectly clear- I was perfectly, positively, pregnant!  After screaming, "Oh my God!  We're going to have a baby!" my husband and I held each other for what felt like a century- soaking it all in.

 

The weight of such news isn't easy to process!  One extra little line and suddenly our world was turned upside down.  Were we ready?  How will we afford a child?  What will the next nine months entail?  Is the baby healthy?  When did we conceive?  How did this happen?  These were all thoughts that raced through our minds that morning.  Needless to say, we didn't go back to sleep that night.  Instead, we went to work with an equal amount of adrenaline and excitement running through our blood.  We texted each other throughout the day.  "I can't believe it!"  "Baaaaabe!  I'm excited!"  I don't think I've ever been so excited, or so terrified, in my entire life. 

That morning, I called the OBGYN and set up my first appointment.  Based on the first day of my last period, they scheduled an exam for Friday, January 31, 2014.  At this appointment, they will confirm my pregnancy and conduct an internal dating ultrasound.  This procedure will give us a better idea of how far along I really am and provide us with a more definitive due date.  Later that day, Matt and I called our families to let them in on the big news.  We are having a baby!  The news was well received and our loved ones were equally surprised and excited for us.

 

The next day, I spent some time researching pregnancy diets and made my first trip to the grocery store.  My cart was filled with $150 of whole grain breads and pastas, fortified cereals, fresh greens, fruit, lean meat, dairy products, vitamins and supplements.  Suddenly, in one days time, I went from feeling uncertain and scared to positively elated about the newest addition to our family.  Already, I was experiencing the protectiveness and immeasurable amount of love that a mother feels for her child.  In that moment, I rested my hand below my belly button and spoke to our unborn baby.  "Hey little one.  Please bare with me over the next few months.  This is all very new to me and I want you to know that I'm trying my best.  We already love you and we will do everything to ensure that you're healthy and safe everyday from now until the end of time.  We can't wait to meet you...whoever you might be."

My mind began to wonder "who is this person growing inside of me?"  I hope he or she is talented like my husband.  Passionate like me.  Selfless like my husband.  Driven like me.  Level-minded like my husband.  Bubbly like me.  Adventurous like my husband.  Confident like me.  Patient like my husband.  Brave like me.  But mostly, filled with the love that my husband and I share for life, and one another.  Only time will tell; the adventure begins now!

One Month Pregnant

 

Love, Mom