...or 5 if you count our other two children, Gizmo (cat) and Bailey (dog)! Oh they will be seriously de-throned, and they have no idea! As everyone probably knows, Mike and I are expecting our first baby in September. We are of course thrilled and anxious at the same time, which all of the books and websites say is normal. It's kind of nice to know we're normal 
We found out on January 15th, but it took me 3 pregnancy tests to really believe it! It really sunk in at our first appt. when we had the ultrasound-the baby looks like a peanut, but there is no mistaking a human heartbeat, even at 152 beats per minute. Our parents are completely ecstatic as this will be the first grandchild on both sides. The future aunts and uncle are excited too!
Luckily, things have been uneventful so far. I was nauseous from about weeks 8-10, and saltines and ginger ale were good friends of mine. The first food that sounded remotely appealing was yellow cake. No frosting, no ice cream, just plain yellow cake. If you want to let someone know you're preggo, leave a half eaten cake on the counter-apparently it's a big clue according to our friend Sara! We kept the news to ourselves and just our parents for a while for several reasons, and I admit it's kind of liberating now to have everyone know. It was pretty easy to keep a secret since I only recently started to really show a bit...about a week ago I crossed the line between looking chunky and looking pregnant, which was a relief. I'll admit it's hard to get used to my own reflection! Note to all those hubbies out there: The saying, "It's ok, you're pregnant!" isn't all that comforting as the big weight on the scale keeps sliding along!
And as everyone can see from my page, our 20 week ultrasound this past Monday revealed that we are having a girl. I was totally shocked because I was convinced it was a boy...my mother's intuition hasn't kicked in yet I guess! I was really torn about finding out the sex-I said for years that I wanted it to be a surprise, and Mike has always said he wanted to find out. I held my ground...until that 8 week ultrasound, then I caved. I'm patient... to a fault! It was just waaaay too tempting. We compromised and said that the next one will be a surprise. As for names, that will be a surprise until she's here and the ink is dry on the birth certificate...then you can judge all you want! jk
So many people find out what they're having these days, I figured our decision to take a sneak peek would be no big deal. In the last two days however, I have been chastised by people for finding out! One lady even went so far as to say "Shame on you! You ruined the surprise!" Seriously!? I immediately launched into our rational for wanting to know, while I simultaneously had a conversation with myself in my own head..."Why am I defending myself about this? Am I a bad parent already?" I have always been sensitive to what other people think, but really, why do some people feel the need to critique a pregnant woman for finding out exciting news? And on a hot day when I hadn't had lunch yet? Bad move...oh well I suppose I had best get used to unsolicited advice and criticism. Anyways, that's enough for now. Thanks for reading this even though it is my most lengthy blog to date. I'll do my best to keep everyone posted from here on out!
