And the magic number is!

What a morning! We had a lot planned, the highlights being doctor's appointments and finding out how far along the pregnancy was and the expected due date....

We made it to the doctor's office with a couple minutes to spare. Upon checking in (and this is true of all visits past and future), Betsy had to give a urine sample. It wasn't long after that we were called back. It was all very exciting. The nurse came in, asked her questions, took Betsy's blood pressure (great!), and gave her the infamous "robes."

Betsy had been looking forward to this exam for quite a while... she wanted to actually meet the doctor, find out how far pregnant she was, make sure this was all for real, and, hopefully, hear the baby's heartbeat.

Mission accomplished.

The exam went wonderful. Dr. Knutson answered all our questions. Yes, you can use a hot tub, but the minute you feel hot, get out. Completely out. A cup of coffee in the morning is OK. Three servings of dairy a day... and at the end of the exam the doc had Betsy lay back and performed a ultrasound.... it was amazing to hear the little heart beat. We did get some video of it, so give a listen.

The "real" ultrasound, however, wasn't until 1:00. So we had some time to kill. Off we drove to the Boise Towne Square Mall. I hung out at Border's books (I found a couple books on hunting and knives, what else?) while Betsy and Phyllis went off for some mother -daughter -baby -still -in -the -tummy time.





Next stop was Fuddruckers famous burgers. Betsy had been craving one of their burgers for a couple weeks. Phyllis treated us, Betsy had a 1/4 # burger, Phyllis had a slider and saved the other one for tomorrows lunch, I had a fantastic elk burger and we all split some fries. Yum-oh!

Pretty soon it was time to go. We had a 1:00 appointment to catch back at the hospital. Feeling mighty full, we rolled out... we found our way through the maze of passageways and checked in. Again in robes, the three of us waited.

At this point in pregnancies they perform two ultrasounds, one mainly to measure the uterus and surrounding organs and the other to measure the babies size, "crown to rump."

It was a very very very incredible experience. At least for Phyllis and myself. Betsy couldn't see the screen. We saw the baby moving around (I think it was either playing soccer or practicing kung fu!), clearly saw limbs (all four, I am pretty pumped about that! All I have been praying about is ten fingers and ten toes.), "eyes", and spine, as well as a heart beat.

With all the measurements done it was time for Betsy to have a look. She was amazed. Unfortunately she only got a real quick look....

and now, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends, family... for your viewing pleasure.... here is the very first photos of....

THE BABY!!!


Oh yeah, I almost forgot the magic numbers you all have been eagerly reading for.... well, no, I just wanted to keep up a feeling of suspense!

The baby's grand entrance into this world should be on a cold day in December. The eighth! So we are heading out of the first trimester and picking up steam towards the finish line!

So much more to come, so keep checking back!

We love you all!

Mike and Betsy

Library!

Betsy has been veraciously reading and researching various baby books. We had a couple we previously picked up at garage sales and hand-me-downs, but yesterday we decided to go to the Boise Public Librabry! (the library in Boise has an exclamation point after it, so I always put one in my writing as well, to differentiate from, say, the Library of Congress...). We found some good books.

Although still pretty early for any real planning, we have discussed some nursery room ideas. Betsy is disinclined to aquese to my request of a locker room if is a boy... oh well, lots of other good ideas out there! Her favorite idea is a room of gerber daisies. I can do that. So we grabbed a couple books on baby rooms (the bottom three in the stack).

But our favorite book out of the Library! books was this one

<------<<<

There is more than one way to wrap a baby! My favorite was the paper bag wrap. You'll have to ask Betsy for the details on that one, she is really looking forward to it!

This week should be an exciting one. Phyllis is coming, our first real doctor's appointment and possibly an ultrasound, so stay tuned!

A Sign

Sometimes in our most exciting moments we miss those no longer with us. We want to share our joy and the thrill can be bittersweet because of it. Betsy and I have no living grandparents. We both miss them and would like to be able to share our delight. A little over three years ago we lost Betsy's maternal grandfather. Betsy's mom, Phyllis, kept a plant from the services and it has remained on her mantle ever since, a constant reminder of a love that will never perish so long as the memory of him remains. Phyllis had been wishing she could share her joy with her mom and dad when she noticed the plant had bloomed! Two blooms, symbolizing her mom and dad and shortly thereafter, a new bloom, symbolizing the new baby Betsy is carrying. The plant has not bloomed in three and one half years! The sign that her parents know about the baby is a comfort for Phyllis. Hooray for small miracles.

Cravings and the first trimester

Its pretty common in the movies to see the husband running out to get a gallon of ice cream and a jar of pickles for his pregnant wife. I always wondered if the cravings really and truly happen (except the pickle part, Betsy hates pickles!) , and how strong they are.

Well, Betsy has had some cravings, though I think they have diminished this week. Sometime in mid April Betsy REALLY wanted Round Table pizza and salad bar. The other night she HAD to have a glass of milk. NO chicken, although I might chalk that up to the nausea more than cravings...




There is an interesting article on webMD about cravings and what they can mean, as well as what to watch out for. And this lady had a similar aversion to chicken.


All in all, it has been fun. And delicious. We've had pizza several times in the last month. I haven't been wakened in the middle of the night to go to the store for some peanut butter and lettuce or other odd combos.

First doctor's appointment...

kind of. We went in to Dr. Knutsen's office today, but she was gone. We knew she would be and that it would be a quick visit with the nurse. essentially we went to get all the preliminary history type stuff out of the way. Everything went well, Betsy peed in a cup and had her blood drawn. She was very brave and barely squeezed my hand when the needle entered her arm! Good job Betsy! We didn't find out any new information, we were hoping to know more exactly how far along she is. We did change the next appointment date however. Now it is when Phyllis will be here! Hooray! And we will most likely have an ultrasound done at that time to age the baby. After that it is one appointment per month until later in the pregnancy.

We added a link or two as well, so check them out.

More to come!