Introducing Our Daughter, Claire!

It's official - our little baby is a girl!!! We are SO excited! Neither of us had a preference, but a week before the ultrasound, Adam told me he was hoping it was a girl. So, he will love to spoil his little girl, but as he says, once she becomes a teenager, he doesn't think he'll sleep well anymore! :)


Here are little Claire's first pictures:


The full body shot. I love this picture! She was kicking me right as they took it, so it turned out perfect!

A close-up profile of her face. I can't wait to see her in person!

And finally, her little feet! Aren't they adorable?

Our ultrasound was on Tuesday, and I had another doctor's appointment yesterday. We found out that the ultrasound results are normal - everything is where it should be on both me and the baby and everything looks as it should. What a relief! Obviously, we have no control over these things, but Adam and I have already begun to worry about Claire's well-being. And we think we worry now! It's going to be quite an adjustment to tone down the worry once she's here with us!

On a funny note, when I was at the doctor's office yesterday, the nurse had to weigh me three times because she couldn't believe the reading - I've lost 10 pounds in 4 weeks! However, the doctor didn't seem concerned. I have another appointment in three weeks, and if I've lost more weight by then, I'll need to have another ultrasound in a few weeks just to make sure that the baby is getting all of the nutrients she needs. However, I'm not concerned either - Claire weighs about 9 ounces right now, putting her in the 80th percentile, so she's a fat little thing. As for the weight loss, I think it's easily explainable - before my pregnancy (make that, for several years before), I developed the bad habit of overeating bad food and not exercising regularly. I had gained 45 pounds in the past 5 or so years! With the first trimester, I wasn't eating much due to morning sickness, and up until about two weeks ago, I had really bad indigestion, so it was still hard for me to eat much. However, in the past couple of weeks, I've felt much better, and so I've been trying to eat more healthy - more fruits and veggies and grains. I've also been getting in a little exercise - not much, just walking around the office for a few minutes every hour, but it adds up. With how overweight I was, I'm not surprised that I'm losing faster than I'm gaining. I've tried to make a bigger effort to eat more frequently throughout the day - I find that even without the indigestion, I get full a lot fast than I used to. It's hard to break the habit of three meals a day, but this week I've been doing pretty good with eating 4-5 times a day instead and drinking a lot more water. So, I think as long as I maintain my new, healthier diet and lifestyle, my body will adjust fairly quickly and start gaining again. Or at least maintain.

My belly is becoming more pronounced, and I measure at 20 cm. Next week I will be at 20 weeks - halfway there! I'm looking forward to starting the countdown! I've been reading a pregnancy book, and the other day I read the chapter on labor and delivery. Honestly, that part does not frighten me. Maybe it will as it gets closer, but for now, I find it fascinating and I am so excited to be a part of such a miracle! I'm not set on any particular type of delivery, but I would like to see how far I can go naturally. Adam and I are going to come up with several different birth plans, however, because we want to be as prepared as possible for any scenario.

Oh, and in other big news, I started to feel Claire move last week! For awhile I wasn't sure because I had no idea what I was looking for, but it was a different feeling than I'd ever felt, so I assume it's her. I don't feel it that often, but when I do, it's such a cool thing! I look forward to when her movements are more pronounced! I do know from the ultrasound that she does move around a lot - she's a fiesty little thing and was proving to be a bit difficult for the ultrasound technician!

Pregnancy is truly a beautiful thing. I've waited for this for so long, and I'm so grateful that we have been blessed with such a miracle, and that are little Claire seems to be thriving! Every time I look at her pictures, I'm amazed at how two little cells knew how to grow into something so perfect. It inspires such a feeling of awe and reverence - God truly has a hand in everything, especially when it comes to the creation of life!