I live in Grand Rapids, MI and have been here since last May. I grew up on lake Michigan, then left for six years that I spent between Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. I met my husband out there, and we decided to relocate so we could be closer to our families and for more affordable housing. We have been very happy here, though I will say the winter is a little long and cold (though very pretty). We started trying to get pregnant in the fall, and it took only two months. We have not had any complications, and the pregnancy has gone along very textbook. Right now I am 16 1/2 weeks. I am not really showing that much yet, which I should probably be happy for - though I am longing for more of a baby belly :) I don't think I have felt the baby move yet either. My doctor said both of these things are very typical of a first pregnancy. We got to hear the heartbeat again last Friday which was a nice reassurance since I am not feeling very pregnant right now. We currently have two countdowns going.... On 2/19 we leave for a last little trip together before we become parents. We are going to FL and taking a short cruise to the Bahamas. I am SO ready for a warm break! Then on 3/7 we go in for our next ultrasound and we really want to know what we are having. I think it's a boy even though I would really love to find out it is a girl. Of course, in the long run having a healthy baby is what is most important!

3/2/08

We had a good time on our trip, but I woke up very sick on the day we flew back. Now I've been sick for a whole week, uch. But, I am in good spirits anyhow since our u/s is this Friday. I can hardly wait to find out what this lil monkey is!!!!!

3/8/08

We found out we are having a girl yesterday!!! I was in shock and so happy - I had convinced myself this was a boy in here... Of course I went straight to the store and bought two little dresses :) I am so excited! I need to work a little more on names now so I can repost a baby name voting list..... Another fun detail is that my baby girl is going to be a Leo just like mommy!!! That means lots of fun, but lots of fire!!! Oh yah, and I finally felt my baby girl move the night before our u/s. Now I am feeling movement here and there - though it still feels pretty light. The placenta is currently in the front of my uterus, and I guess that can block the movement a little.... It's actually covering part of my cervix right now too - so I have to go back in for another u/s in 8 weeks to make sure it has moved up. Otherwise the baby would have to come by scheduled c-section. I have mixed feelings on that. But odds are, the placenta will move and nature will take its course :)

4/16/08

I am so excited - I am taking one last pre-baby trip and leave early on Friday morning. I am going back to Seattle for a few days. I haven't been back since we relocated from there to Michigan. Work has been so incredibly stressful and so I can hardly wait for a few days of no work and all play! I just know that time is going to fly after I get back. We are going to start work on the nursery, and I'll be plugging away in the third trimester!

5/5/08

Well, the trip to Seattle went really well. It was brief and we had a ton of people to see! I do really miss that city - but with spring finally here in Michigan it is getting so nice here... There are pros and cons to both locations :) Once again I came home with a really nasty cold. My doctor finally gave me a five day antibiotic so I am almost done with that. The congestion has been a real pain on top of losing breath capacity anyhow! We had another ultrasound last Friday at 28 weeks which was fantastic. We got to see little Madeline June moving around. The placenta has moved out of the way which is the biggest thing they needed to check - so we can progess with doing a vaginal birth (I think that's good)!