Some really good news and a little bad news...

The good news...

It's a Girl!!!

We had our ultrasound yesterday and she looks amazing! My appointment for the ultrasound was at 10:30am but they didn't see us until around 12:30pm.  Man, do they know how to keep people in suspense and anxious! The way it goes with the place that my doc sends us for ultrasounds, I go into the room alone for the first part of the scan so they can get the measurements and do all of the "official" stuff.  Then after that is done, they allow your partner to come in and take a look for awhile.  The girl had asked if we wanted to know the gender and I told her yes but I didn't want to know until my husband was in the room with me.  But while she was scanning with me in there alone, she kept on referring to the baby's parts as "his" such as "there is his leg and there is his arm" so I was convinced that she had seen a boy. 

After getting all of the measurements she called Alfred back to join us.  She showed him some of the baby's parts like the head and the heartbeat (which is amazing), the legs and so on.  Then she asked us if we had any final guesses before she gave us the gender.  Then she told us "it's a girl."  I cried.  Squeezed the crap out of Alfred's hand and cried.  I was sooooo excited.  I had the feeling that I was having a boy but I think I was forcing myself to feel that way so I wouldn't be too heartbroken if it was a boy.  Alfred asked her "are you 100%  sure?" and she replied "Well, we can't be 100% sure but if it was me, I would go shopping."  That's enough assurance for me!!! 

We have not finalized a name yet but when we do we are keeping it a secret until she is born.  We have some really solid ideas but nothing that we are committed to.  We do know we want the first name to start with an A or a J and the middle name to start with an A or a J.  Here are some pics of our Winter Princess...

Her face.

 Her arm and fingers.

 Her thigh and leg.

 Her cutsie little profile.

 And last but not least, the goods...

This picture is like she is sitting on glass and you are looking up at the glass and that is her hiney and the female parts in the middle.

Such a blessing!

Now, the not so good news...

I have a short cervix.

So what does that mean?  A normal cervix of a woman while she is pregnant should be around 3.0 -4.0 centimeters.  That creates a "buffer" between the baby and the outside world.  When a woman goes into labor, her cervix starts to shorten and eventually dwindle down to allow the baby to make it's appearance.  Well my cervix is now at 2.2 centimeters, which means it is shorter than it should be and if it continues to shorten, it could send me into pre-mature labor and make me have a premature baby.  Because of this, I have been put on bed rest for at least a week. After this week, I have to go see my doctor again so he can give me another vaginal ultrasound to see if it has continued to shorten or if it has stayed the same.  If it has shortened more then I may have to be on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy to make sure I don't have the baby too early.  If it stays the same then I may be able to go back to work but on light duty.  Either way, I will have to go see him more often to be monitored to make sure everything is okay.  Now this "bed rest" is the worst.  I have to be practically flat on my back.  I asked him if I could go to work and at least sit during the day and he said no.  That even while sitting, the fluid and the pressure of the baby from sitting down could cause my cervix to get shorter.  Even sitting at a 45 degree angle in bed to watch TV or something isn't a good idea.  I can only get out of bed to eat, use the restroom and stretch my legs occasionally. 

I hate feeling helpless.  I hate being waited on.  I love protecting my baby girl.

I asked the doc if there was anything I could have done to prevent this and he said no.  That sometimes when a woman has had one baby and been in labor once, that the cervix isn't as strong for other babies.  If it gets worse, then I read online that some of the options that the doc may use is to either put a stitch in my cervix to keep it stronger or use progesterone to make my cervix stronger.  Either option is also accompanied by bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy to relieve pressure off the cervix.  That sucks.  But thank God for an amazing mother and husband who are helping me and making sure I comply with doctor's orders.  And thank God for an awesome best friend who is 9 months pregnant and making me a huge pan of lasagna right now so we don't have to worry about cooking and dinner for a couple of days.   All I want is for my baby girl to be safe and to stay in there as long as possible.  So please feel free to drop your prayers off here.  They are much needed and appreciated...

On to a lighter subject, Alec.  He still doesn't get the idea that there is a baby in mommy's tummy.  I keep on pointing to my belly and I say "baby" but he just ignores me.  In fact, the majority of his day is spent ignoring me.  He is so independent and stubborn sometimes.  My mom says that is the Aries in him.  It kind of hurts my feelings sometimes but I like that he is independent and strong natured.  It will make for a strong man.  A go getter.  A great big brother who will protect his little sister. He still absolutely loves dinosaurs and the show "Dino Dan."

It really amazes me how much is growing.  I know it's going to shock and amaze me even more after the baby girl gets here that once upon a time Aleczander was the same size.  He loves his daddy like no other.  When I get home from work, Alec is like "momma, momma, momma" and looks at me and waves at me but that's about it.  When Alfred gets home, Alec is like "DADDA! DADDA! DADDA!" and he runs to him and jumps into his arms and is so excited to see him!!  I love that he loves his daddy. 

And I love him.

Something else I love about Alec is how he loves to go to bed.  Whether it be nap time or bed time, all we have to do is shake his cup that is filled with milk and tell him it's bed time and he grabs his favorite blanket and runs to his bed.  Before we give him his cup he gives both Alfred and I a hug and a kiss goodnight.   He gives the sweetest kisses...



Random thought... I'm really craving brownies right now.  Duncan Hines, hot, fresh brownies.  With this baby my major cravings have been fruit sodas like Fanta Orange and Strawberry, fruit, salads (I am LOVING me some salads right now) and cereal.  Any kind of cereal.  With cold milk.  Really cold milk. My dislikes have been orange juice, sandwich meats, or anything too heavy. I have been feeling the baby move for a couple of weeks now but it's becoming more consistent.  During the ultrasound yesterday we saw her move around quite a bit.  Ultrasounds are sooo cool.  I wish I could get one at every visit. 

Well I have been sitting up a little too long right now so I need to go "be flat" for the remainder of the day.  JOY!  But I will do whatever it takes for my princess. <3