It's a..........

GIRL!!!!!!!!! Today we had an ultrasound and the doctor and tech agreed their 90% sure you're a GIRL! They told us not to paint the room pink but we could buy a few clothes and leave the tags on. haha. AHHH! We're beside ourselves. We have another ultrasound December 15th to confirm but since I've known ALL along you were a girl, this was all the confirmation I needed!

Your daddy and I had already decided your name would be Avery but today we picked a middle name. Your beautiful little self will be named Avery Madison Wise. You're 3 inches long and you like to stretch! I can already tell you're going to be a booger in the 3rd trimester! You would scrunch up really small then throw your arms and legs out like a star. This could have been because you were sleeping soundly and the ultrasound tech had to poke you to get you to move around. Sorry baby! We needed to see your other arm! Your heart still sounds like a bunch of horses and was 157 bpm today.

Here are some adorable pictures of you!

Profile:

More profile shots: Look at that nice nose bone which means you're VERY unlikely to have down syndrome. YAY!

Hi mom!

The ultrasound tech also took a picture of your face but it's scary looking. It's of your bones and you look like a Halloween skeleton so we'll skip posting that one :) I like to think of you as chubby and sweet!

We love you to God's house and back, Avery Madison Wise!

Disclaimer: If you're a boy... SORRY! We love you equally as much and I'm sure I'll spend a lifetime making these next 6 weeks of me declaring you're a girl up to you. There's always that 10%....

CHEESECAKE

C.H.E.E.S.E.C.A.K.E
I'm not a huge cheesecake eater but I must have one... right now. New York Style. With Strawberries. Lots of them. DANNNIIIEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLL....... 8:15pm Harris Teeter run? That's not too much to ask right?

If I eat this cheesecake,  I will have a baby bump picture to show soon! Or would it be more considered baby craving fat rolls?

12 weeks!

You're 12 weeks old now! This was a big week for me because I decided a while back that at 12 weeks along, I was no longer allowed to worry about you. Previously, we've been optimistically thrilled about you but there was always the thought in the back of my mind that we could loose you. I know SOO many people who have miscarried and the thought of that possibility makes me cry. Now that you're 12 weeks (a date that the chances of loosing you drops dramatically) I WILL stop worrying and start being 100% excited with no "buts." Satan must have known I set 12 weeks as my "stop worrying date" because I had the WORST nightmare the exact date (at almost midnight!) that you turned 12 weeks. I woke up in tears and so scared! Too bad for him that "in the name of Jesus" he was demanded to leave my thoughts and we went right back to sleep!

Still no belly pictures this week because there just isn't one. Some pants are getting a little snug but not even enough for anyone but me to notice. We go for an ultrasound on Thursday and I'm SOO excited! Because I'm high risk, the doctors wanted to do some non invasive testing which includes an ultrasound so I'm super thrilled! I'm HOPING that just maybe we'll get to see what gender you are. It's a long shot but I know some friends who have found out at 13 weeks! :)

Speaking of gender... I'm a sucker for guessing what/who you might be so I wasted $30 on one of those urine gender test. According to the test you're both a girl and a boy. haha. I was certain the test showed girl but your dad showed me from a different angle that the test showed boy. We kept moving the test to different light angles. I think it was slightly more girl but it was still definitely inconclusive. Oh well. $30 not so well spent but it was a fun 10 minutes.

Yesterday was Halloween. I kept thinking that next year I'll have a 2 1/2 year old and a 6 month old! How fun!!!!! 

Now that we're 12 weeks, I'll start doing some updates in the Q&A format.  Here's our 1st one!

How far along: 12 weeks, 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: 1 1/2 pounds but I feel like it looks like more.
Maternity clothes: Not yet but I did wash all of mine and add a piece or 2 recently
Sleep: I usually wake up once a night to potty in addition to any time Parker wakes me up.
Best moment this week: Hitting the 12 week, no more worrying mark!
Movement: Apparently you're moving a lot according to "the books" but I can't feel it yet.
Cravings: I'm loving cold fruit and soups!
Gender: I think girl... but I'm starting to waiver more recently
Labor Signs: No. Thank the Lord!
Belly Button in our out? In!
What I miss:I'm not going to lie. I miss margaritas and wine at night after Parker is asleep!
What am I looking forward to? Seeing you Thursday. You'll look more human and less blobish.
Milestones: Hitting the "stop worrying" mark!!!

You're a Plum!

That's right. you're the size of a small plum or kumquat or large strawberry.... depending on what book or website you read. Either way, you're getting BIGGER! You're (according to the doctors) 10 weeks old! I'm excited to have another ultrasound soon to see if they'll readjust that as we KNOW that isn't quite right. I'm still 99% sure you're 11 weeks! For now, we'll stick to 10 week stats.

Supposedly you're a wiggle worm but I won't feel you for a few more weeks. I'm really looking forward to that. It's so special (at least until it starts to hurt)! You have fingernails and you're developing fingerprints. How crazy is that! It seems like most your organs are formed... they just need to get bigger! It amazes me how everything forms so quickly and perfectly. God is SOO amazing!

No need to post a belly picture as there isn't a belly. I can tell my waist is thickening and my skinny jeans aren't making me look quite so skinny but until they no longer fit... I'm rocking them. I think the best way to describe my current physic is "Man, she's let her herself go.... one too many snickers."

I wanted to post a picture of exactly how big you are but every one I find makes you look like a scary alien with a big head and bulging eyes. The "Your pregnant by week" book makes you look so cute and shows your actual size. Maybe I'll have to scan that but since I still haven't scanned your 7 week ultrasound.... that's probably not going to happen.

How about this. While still slightly creepy, after some googling, I found this company that takes pictures of "wax" babies that are the size of a fetus (I hate that word, so we're going to use baby).

Thank the Lord you don't come out that small. I'd loose you! I do kinda like that hat, though. Maybe it will be pink? We'll see in 8ish weeks! Keep up the good growth... next week you're a LIME!

Baby Name Polls!

While this is HIGHLY preemptive..... I'm obsessed with baby names. It makes this process feel more real to me since I don't look pregnant yet... just a little on the puffier side! Maybe I'll take a 10 week picture on Sunday.

Back to names. We have first names for a girl and a boy but we're struggling with middle names. For a girl, her name would be Avery. For a boy, his name would be Gavin. They're like 99% set in stone. Daniel likes Elizabeth as a middle name with Avery but I'd prefer something a bit less traditional.  For a boy... we're both stumped. I created a poll on babynamegenie.com. Help us out people.... either comment on this post with some middle names (make sure to specify boy or girl) or head to the polls to pick from the 3 names that I like (it only let me input 3 or I'd have a list of 12).

Girl poll:
http://www.babynamegenie.com/polls/208371
Boy poll:
http://www.babynamegenie.com/polls/208373
Here's the full list of middle names I'm currently batting around.
Avery:
Hannah
Elizabeth
Olivia
Madison
Amelia
Austin
Emerson
Savannah

Gavin:
Brady
Emmitt
Lawson
Cooper
Carter
Carson
Brooks
Owen
Daniel
Austin
Hudson
Jackson


Feel free to throw others into the mix! Thanks guys!

The 1st bump picture

My waist is officially thickening. SUPER! This is happening light years before it did with your brother!!!! I've been promising a picture.... here you are at a little over 8 weeks. WELL.... technically, you're still the size of a kidney bean so all that extra that I didn't used to have is really your home... not you.

Next time I'll try to have my face in the picture BUT as you can see, I was in my jammies and you wouldn't have wanted to see my face! I swear I don't think I look that big. Maybe I was bloated that day OR maybe I'm just getting fat everywhere else now too so it all blends together. Who knows! Either way, as incubators  moms we sacrifice our bodies to create yours! Enjoy your home for the next 8 months because the next one you'll have is a lot crazier!

You're Facebook Official

While I'm hoping you'll never know what "facebook official" means.... you are. ha ha. I'm sure in 18 years there will be another cool social network you'll be all into and facebook will be old news. Then I'll have to sign up for whatever new network there is so I can stalk you and your brother and post a bunch of embarrassing pictures of you. Kidding! I'd never do that?!? You'll just have to wait and see. It will probably depend on how awful of a tween/teen you are. Just remember that! ;) Be nice to mommy!

What I meant to say in the 1st paragraph is that you've been announced! Most of my close friends already knew but now it's posted for the world to know! We're very excited! You're healthy, you're growing and your heart is so strong! That combined with the fact that mommy is tired, nauseous, craving specific foods and puking in the fitting room of Old Navy (yes that happened today) is making this "secret" hard to keep! Why would we want to anyways? We're thrilled!