17 week appointment

I had my 17 week appointment today and so far I've gained 8 lbs. Ethan & I got to hear the heartbeat again and it was really strong and really fast. I was supposed to have the AFP testing today which tests for Downs Syndrome & Spina Bifida but Stephen & I decided that we were going to decline the testing. If anything were to come back positive the next step would be an amnio which I would not do because it can cause a miscarriage. My doctor told me that they would be able to see these defects at the 21 week ultrasound. Speaking of, we will hopefully be finding out the sex of the baby at my next appointment, May 28th!!! I'm praying that the baby cooperates and won't have his/her legs crossed. :)

Such a good big brother

Ethan has been really interested in the "baby in my tummy". He named it Ms. Teddy Bear and he talks to it or kisses it almost every day. He often asks me if the baby is awake. He started this game where he tickles my belly and I make a funny noise (he thinks it's the baby) and then he says that the baby is awake now. I've been really surprised at how interested he is about the baby, he's going to be a great big brother!!

Nothing much has changed except my belly is growing a little more. I'm still wearing my regular pants but mostly wearing maternity shirts. Some of my pants can still button but most don't so I just rig it with a ponytail holder. It's better than wearing maternity pants!! I think I've felt the baby move a few times. It seems to happen when I put a little pressure on my belly (like holding Ethan or something) I'm sure the baby is trying to tell me that I'm squishing him/her! Hopefully soon I'll be able to feel the baby move more, that is my most favorite part of pregnancy. I really can't wait until Stephen & Ethan can feel the baby kick. Ethan is going to love it!

We find out in about 6 weeks what the gender of the baby is. We can't wait!! Then I can start referring to the baby as him/her instead of it (or baby). Or if we can settle on a name then I can call it by name.

13 week appointment

I had my 13 week appointment today and everything went well. Ethan & I got to hear the heartbeat, that was cool and comforting. My blood pressure was 100/60 and I think I gained 3 lbs in the last month. The doctor told me to keep doing what I was doing and I'll go back to see him in another 4 weeks. Stephen had to miss the appointment because he's on a business trip in Vegas, I know he would have probably liked to have heard the heartbeat but hopefully he'll get to go to another appointment soon.

12 week belly shot

Since my belly is rapidly growing I figured I should start having pictures taken. This is me at 12 weeks!

Ethan is going to be a big brother!!

Yes, you read it correctly, we are expecting Baby Lowe #2. I am currently 12 weeks pregnant and due October 5th. It has been really hard to keep this a secret, we have known since January 30th (I took a home pregnancy test). We didn't want to tell anyone until we went to the doctor, my appointment was March 4th, but I wanted to wait a couple more weeks so we could tell our parents in person. Since my parents live out of town we had to wait until Easter weekend when they were in town. We gave our parents an Easter present which was a framed picture of the ultrasound. They were so excited to be getting another grandchild!!

We sat down with Ethan this past Thursday and told him he was going to be a big brother and he was excited. We showed him the ultrasound picture and he got a big smile on his face. He asked a couple of questions like, "Where does the baby sleep?" "How does the baby eat?" Then he reached over and rubbed my belly, it was so sweet! We asked him if he wanted a brother or sister and he said he wanted a brother. So in 8 weeks we will find out! He is going to be a great big brother!!

My doctor's appointment went well. Stephen & I were there for almost 2 1/2 hours. We had an ultrasound done and that was the best part. We got to see our little bean and he/she even moved while they were doing the ultrasound. That was really cool and brought tears to my eyes!! Since I had gestational diabetes during my pregnancy with Ethan they tested me at my appointment to see if I have it again. A couple of weeks ago I received a letter in the mail from my OB's office saying I had passed! I still have to do the diabetes test again at 28 weeks but at least I don't have to prick my finger 4x a day for the next 16 weeks. What a relief!

I've had some morning sickness which is new for me, I was never sick with Ethan. It started out just in the morning but for the last few weeks I'm getting it late afternoon. Usually a glass of raspberry ginger ale does the trick. I've been really tired but I can definitely tell that is starting to go away and I've been having bad headaches. Hopefully in the next few weeks all of this will be gone. I've also started showing which has been a challenge to hide these past couple of weeks. I think I started showing around my 9th week.

So I'm going to keep up this blog for the new baby just like I do for Ethan. I should be updating in a couple of weeks after my next doctor's appointment. Oh yeah, don't forget to also read Ethan's blog at www.ethanlowe.com.