It's beginning to feel more real....

Chris and I have spent most of the last two weeks spreading the good news.  I've been in touch with some people I haven't talked to in a long time and it has been so great catching up with them!  In our busy lives, it's hard to find the time to stay in touch.  As much as I love Facebook, I have probably become too reliant on it.  I need to be in touch more often, and now that I've taken the step to reach out, I hope I can continue to do so.  

This was a big week.  I can feel the baby growing and may have felt a few little flutters.  My belly is finally getting big enough that it is starting to look more like a baby and not like I've eaten too many cupcakes.  I'm loving my little bump.  I'm looking forward to it getting bigger and looking more pregnant.  This in-between stage has been really tough for me, especially after losing so much weight and being really happy with how I looked.  I know eventually I'll turn the corner and I'll love how I look again because this is a beautiful reason to grow.  

In addition, we got the results back from the Panorama Test.  This is a relatively new, un invasive way to test for chromosomal disorders such as trisomy 13, 18, and 21 (Downs Syndrome).   Having lost a baby to a chromosomal disorder (trisomy 22), I really wanted this done.  In addition, by having the test, they are able to look for the Y chromosome (or the absence of a Y). The results came back with a 1/10000 chance of having any of those disorders.  There was no Y chromosome, so we are having a girl!!!   

Don't ask us the name, we haven't decided yet, and when we do, we don't plan to share.  Something has to stay a surprise, right?   

We have decided to use a midwife instead of an obstetrician.  We will still deliver in the hospital and there will be a doctor available, but I like the level of care I get from a midwife.  I accidentally started going to this practice 9 years ago, and really like it.   It has a much more familiar feel, and is comfortable and not clinical.  You call the midwife by her first name and she feels more like a family member than a doctor.  She is fully trained and certified in all things baby, the only difference is that she can not perform surgery.  It feels much more natural to me than the sterile environments we became so accustomed to during IVF.   I want this to be as natural as my body and my baby will allow.  Anyway, I had my 2nd appointment with the midwife.  I saw my regular midwife, Phyllis, this time.  I was unable to get an appointment with her for my first appointment.  The last time I saw Phyllis, she and I discussed the fact that we had given up the fight.  I still remember her saying to me, "well, I guess you're not here for birth control". We laughed.  So this appointment was so joyous.  There were hugs, there were tears.  Not much happened other than a lot of talking, but we did listen to the heartbeat again.  It was a good, solid 164 bpm, which is good and strong.  All of the tests they did at the first appointment looked great as well.  So far so good.  I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and it's not going to be real.

We started the process of looking for furniture.  We haven't decided on anything, but I'd like to order in the next few weeks.  I'd really like to have the Nursery done by the time I go back to school in September, which realistically means we need to have it almost done before going to Belgium in mid-August.  

This is also a big week because we are finally going public on FB.   We have told everyone we needed to tell and now it is time to announce it to the world!  

That's all the news this week.  Stay tuned.....