3 Months To Go

Here are the pictures of Steph with only 3 months to go.



We can't wait to see everyone in person over the holidays!

Still Kicking

Steph had another doctor's appointment today. At every visit they check the heartbeat of the baby, and this time it was 155 bpm. Some people say that they can tell the gender of the baby just from this number. These people have a 50% chance of being right.

What we really learned from this appointment is that our child is no longer interested in the routine heartbeat check. During the process, the baby tried to kick the fetal doppler monitor off of Steph's belly. Take that, measurement device.

First Snowfall of the Season

We had the first substantial snowfall of the season today. Apparently shoveling snow isn't something that a pregnant woman should be doing. So this father-to-be had to clear the snow from the car, driveway and walkways all by himself.

It's going to be a long winter...

4 Months To Go

We have decided to take a few pictures on the 12th of each month to track the growth of the baby. Plus, we have received many requests from out-of-town friends and family for a view of Steph's belly. Here are the shots from November - 4 months to go!

First Kicks

The baby's fluttering can now officially be felt by people other than Steph. After weeks of taunting the outside world, I was finally able to feel the baby's kick (or punch, or flick) tonight after dinner.

We're not sure if it was an actual attempt to make contact with another family member or if there was just a general excitement about the recent meal of Domino's Pizza and Cinna Stix.

Halfway

We're halfway there! There are only 4 1/2 months to go, and we have a lot to do in that amount of time. We have already accomplished, well, just about nothing to get ready for the baby.

To celebrate the midpoint of the pregnancy (and at the constant urging of others), we decided to start a registry today at the real Babies "R" Us store. Real meaning that it is an entire store by itself and not a few aisles tucked in the back of a Toys "R" Us. All of those toys in one place seem to be a little distracting for this father-to-be.

Babies "R" Us had different plans for us. As we approached the store the first things we noticed were the big, handmade signs proclaiming the "Baby registry not working today." Apparently they were having some computer issues. No one could create, change, view, or print a registry. Oh, well.

So we just walked around and became very overwhelmed. Do we really need a baby wipe warmer? Why are there 36 strollers to pick from? Where are all of the big kid toys? Sorry, that last one was just me.

Ultrasound

We had our ultrasound appointment this morning and learned a few things during the procedure.

1. There is only one baby in there.
2. You don't have to drink as much water beforehand as you might think.
3. The gel they use is extremely cold.
4. You're supposed to give the blank videotape to them before the procedure starts.
5. The technician (and only the technician) now knows if the baby is a boy or a girl.
6. Because of the HIPAA laws, she is not going to tell you.

We also came out of the appointment with a few pictures to share. Click on each thumbnail picture for a larger view.

The first is a shot of the baby looking up. You can clearly see the head on the right side and a hand just above the baby's nose.

Since it is mid-October, the baby decided to dress up for Halloween in this next shot. The view is looking straight on at the baby's face. The outfit is that of an alien, of course.

The third shot is similar to the first, with the baby looking up and a hand out in front of the nose. But, I think in this one you can plainly see that the baby will be a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

Steph has been feeling some "fluttering" lately. Now we know why.

New Addition

We decided to start a blog to share our news as we prepare to welcome our new addition. Check back for updates.