I've been meaning to share this story for weeks now, but I was waiting until after our anatomy scan, and then totally forgot to do it.
We actually could have found out the baby's sex on January 19, 2017, when we went in for a 2D U/S, but we had the technician put the information in a sealed enveloped, and then I had David hide it from me. Our plan was to open it up on a special occasion, like Valentine's Day, so we could celebrate the news. Well, Valentine's Day didn't end up going as planned this year. We were both extremely busy and the night just did not turn out the way we had hoped it would, so we didn't end up opening the envelope that night.
That weekend (Saturday, February 18, 2017), David planned a special date for us. We went out to dinner (originally planned to be at a local restaurant/wine bar, but then at the last minute, I got a weird craving for potato skins, so we ended up going to a wings place instead--haha!) The plan after dinner was to go to one of our favorite European cafes for dessert, where, unbeknownst to me, David had set up for the waiter to bring out a special cupcake for us that would reveal the sex once I cut into it. However, I ruined the plan again because I was feeling so anxious about the baby's sex, and wanted to find out at home in private...so we ended up picking up some delicious desserts (macarons and tiramisu), and bringing them home.
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| It's a girl! |
Even though I ruined his plans, David still managed to salvage the moment. He set up a smorgasbord of our desserts (including 2 cupcakes that he had specially baked by a friend at work) and some roses. Since the plan with the waiter didn't work out, David ended up having to peek at the envelope first, but then he gave me the "right" cupcake to cut into...and it was pink!
We are overjoyed to share that we are having a baby girl! The sex was confirmed at our March 10, 2017 anatomy scan, and now we can plan accordingly!
On another note, I finally "officially" felt the baby move for the first time on March 21, 2017. The past two visits to the OB, my doctor and nurse have asked if I've felt anything and I've always been hesitant to answer because I haven't been sure...but at 3am on March 21, I was lying in bed with my hand on my tummy, and I distinctly felt it. I tried to wake David up for him to feel it, but he was so groggy. He ended up feeling it for himself in the morning at 8:13am. Since then, I can feel (and distinguish) baby girl's movements throughout the day, and most actively, at night. I can't tell if she's kicking or punching, but I love feeling the little nudges, pokes, and prods!
We have also made the decision to hire a DONA-certified birth doula to assist with the labor. We met a wonderful (and highly recommended) woman, and I am looking forward to sharing more about that later on!
I've officially entered "nesting" mode. We have 6 months which may seem like a lot of time, but there are so many things that I want to get done before the arrival of the baby and we have a number of out-of-town guests scheduled to come in the next few months (which creates a whole new level of stress).
On 1/19/17, we went to our local 3D U/S place to do a gender determination scan. It was mostly to feel safe before making our official pregnancy announcement, but the tech was able to determine the gender (which we have safely tucked away in a sealed envelope to open later).
I've contacted (and/or visited) ~6 different daycare/pre-school options in town. I knew from watching my friends' experiences with this that I wanted to get a head start, and I'm glad I have. I've found a few options, but am still deciding what works best as far as location, convenience, price, hours, and wait lists. I also finally worked out my birth/bonding FMLA and fall teaching schedule. The plan right now is to take 8 weeks of leave, and teach the 2nd 8 weeks online, which will allow me to stay home with the baby for the entire semester! I'll be working a little from home, but essentially won't have to take the baby to daycare until mid-January (when s/he is nearly 6 months).
Yesterday I went in for my Return OB (ROB) appointment and got to hear the heartbeat on the doppler. Then we drove 2.5 hours to take a look at a new car. I actually hadn't thought about a new vehicle at all during this whole process until David brought it up. He wanted to get a larger, safer, vehicle, with a few other features we've learned we need living in the snowy mountains, like AWD, dual climate control, and roof rails. We originally considered trading in his hatchback for an SUV, but then after talking about it, realized I'd be the one driving the baby around the most, so it'd be better to trade in my sedan. We spent 5 hours at the dealer yesterday (and another 5 hours on on the road), but we walked away with an amazing deal on a Honda CR-V with a handful of extras thrown in. I don't think the car salesman had anticipated what it'd be like negotiating with a pregnant, hungry, former buyer. ;-) I had always told myself I wanted to get a new VW Beetle next, but things can change in a heartbeat!
I have basic plans drawn out for the baby room, including trying to accommodate potential guests, but there are a few things we need to do first including changing out the carpet and repainting the walls. So much to do!
My Tentative To Do List:
- New kitchen table/
chairs/barstools
Trade in car for SUV- Change carpets
Figure out maternity leave- Decide on daycare/pre-school
- Take down picture rail in baby room
- Re-paint baby room
- Furnish baby room
