3D Ultrasound - It's A Girl!

I was a little nervous about having both my parents in such a small room, but everything was fine. They even chatted a little about how much we all weighed as newborns. It was a great feeling, knowing that they could set their differences aside and just enjoy the moment with everyone.

Babymoon was quite a small place compared to what I had imagined, but Jer, me and the 8 family members we invited, managed to fit into the ultrasound room just fine.

It's amazing that we could share that experience with our families. Especially considering this was the first ultrasound that some of them had ever seen. This has made everyone even more excited about this baby. Which is great, because I suspect that I'm going to need some encouragement over the next 5 months.

Seeing everyone else so happy definitely makes the journey more bearable. Although, my pregnancy hasn't been tough so far, I know it's coming. I'm just taking it day by day.

Jer and I were both hoping for a girl, and when the technician confirmed that we were expecting a daughter, we were super excited! Jer is so happy, and I'm loving this side of him. He's just so stoked to be a Dad. I can't wait to see him hold her in his arms for the first time.

She looks healthy, as far as we could tell. She's got a normal heart rate and has all 10 fingers and toes. She's also quite the mover. She likes to move early in the morning and late at night. And this morning, Jer got to feel her kick for the first time. After a few nights of me telling him she was moving and him not being able to feel anything, he was so happy.

Divorce - Like a Skeleton in Your Closet

My parents separated and divorced many years ago. 17 years to be exact. At the time I was 13, and upset that our family, as unhappy as we were together, wasn't going to be a family anymore.

As a child we rely on our parents to fix and keep things together. For me, divorce meant something was broken and couldn't be fixed. This was devastating, especially when I thought of all the times I was consoled in bad situations by the words "it's alright, everything is going to be ok". No matter the situation, divorce is tough on everyone.

Over time, I got over it, but every once and a while I am reminded that the divorce of my parents takes my thoughts back a step. This tainted family past still tries to pull me under it's weight, but I try my hardest to be stronger than that brokenness.

When I was married in 2003, the most stressful thing for me was thinking about my parents being in the same place together. At that point they still weren't speaking to each other. And I was nervous about their girlfriend/boyfriend and the potential for a blow-up. But they all respected that it was my day, and everything went smoothly.

Now that my husband and I are expecting, we want to know the sex of the baby. So we're going to have an ultrasound at Babymoon tomorrow. I have been thinking for a couple weeks now about who I want there. Without hesitation I have invited my Mom & sisters and Jer has invited his parents, brother and grandma. I hesitated to invite my Dad, even though I really want him there, because him and my Mom are still not on speaking terms. But, I have decided to toss that aside. This is THEIR Grandchild...together or separate. If they could suck it up for my wedding, I'm sure they can do it again for our baby. What it all boils down to, is that it's important to me that they both be a part of this. That's the one thing that really matters.

First Ultrasound - Sept. 9

Going into the ultrasound, I knew they were just measuring the baby. Mainly to check on my due date and that the baby was developing at a normal pace. I went into the appointment like I would to any other checkup.

When I first saw our baby, I was in awe. Not awe so cute...awe...I've reached another step in the journey. It's one thing to hear the heart beating - but to SEE it beating. To see it's little legs, hands, face and feet. Wow! Not only could we see it - it was also moving around quite a bit. At one point it had its bum up like it was doing a somersault. We saw it fold its hand into a fist, and shift from its right side to its left. And at 19.5 weeks, our baby was only 6" long. Crazy!

We're not sure what this little one is yet. But we'll find out this week at Baby Moon. At least I hope we will. Jer and I would like it to be a girl. But God is the only one who knows thus far. But that doesn't mean I'd be unhappy with a boy.

As far as names go, we haven't picked any yet. But I have a feeling it's going to be a bit of a battle. Jer likes newer, different names and I like older ones. I also would love to carry on names from my family. I think there's importance in remembering where you came from. Remembering all the people that came before you, and made it possible for you to exist.