My name is Melanie, and I am pregnant with my first baby with my wonderful fiance Michael. We both absolutely adore children, and cannot wait for our baby to be here. We just found out on 3/20 that it's a boy! His name will be Logan Michael. Now we just need to decide whether to decorate Seahaws (Michael's choice) or Mariners (my choice)! I love hearing from other "pregos" and sharing our similarities/differences in this wonderful time!

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February 7, 2008- Our first doctor's appointment was 1/2/08 which was just to confirm the pregnancy. We then went to the OB-GYN on 1/8/08 which is when we got to hear the heartbeat (very faint, but it was there!) and had our first ultrasound. This is where we learned we were at 9weeks and 3 days. We then went for some testing just to make sure baby is healthy on 1/17/08 and had another ultrasound where we got to see the hands and feet! The tests came back healthy! It was amazing to see how much the baby had grown in such a short amount of time. As far as morning sickness, I have had it non-stop. No idea why they don't call it 24-hour sickness. I have been on 2 different prescriptions for the nauseau but nothing has helped all that much. The 2nd prescription I tried just made me sleep. Thought I was past the sickness stage when I reached 12 weeks, I had a couple of days of relief but then it returned with a vengeance. Our next appointment is set for 2/20/08 for bloodwork, then our big ultrasound is in March where we find out if it's a prince or a princess!!

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February 16, 2008- Our next appointment is Wednesday for bloodwork, I am excited because we will also get to hear the heartbeat again. We don't find out if it's a boy or girl until 3/20, when I will be 20 weeks. I am 15 weeks today. I have had some really bad days as far as morning sickness goes, one day this past week I didn't keep anything down all day, and became really dehydrated again. I had a pretty good day yesterday and today has been so far so good, hopefully this continues!!

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February 26, 2008- We had another doctor appointment on 2/20, we heard the heartbeat again and it was 155 bpm, very healthy and strong this time! Had blood drawn to test for downs syndrome and other birth defects and just got the results today, they came back normal! I have been feeling MUCH better and have been eating better and drinking more liquids. I get pretty tired after work, but that's to be expected! A co-worker joked that I'm sleeping for two now ;) Next appointment is set for 3/20, where we get an ultrasound and FINALLY will learn if it's boy or girl! Keeping my fingers crossed for pink! :) 16 weeks 3 days today.

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March 16, 2008- Last night I felt the baby really move for the first time! I have felt the little "flutters" now and then, but last night right after I laid down in bed, I felt something literally kicking my side that I was laying on! Baby did not like that the bed was invading his/her space! It was so amazing, I could just imaging this tiny little foot kicking out over and over again. I had to wake up Michael right away, and I put his hand right where baby was kicking and he could feel it too! It was the most incredible feeling, and also very reassuring to know the baby is doing just fine in there. 19 weeks exactly last night. I am SO happy right now, I can't wait to feel him/her again! Also, just a few more days until we find out if thats a little man or a little girl doing all that kicking! Big ultrasound is this Thursday!

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March 22, 2008- It's a BOY!! We are so excited. The ultrasound went very well, baby is measuring exactly on track, and all the fingers and toes are accounted for! The heartbeat was 143 during the ultrasound, then 153 with the doppler. Baby weighs 11 ounces. Michael and I are so excited, we went out right away and bought a little Mariners onesie with little baseball shoes. Baby Logan is healthy and growing great, what more could I ask for? :)

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April 5, 2008- I hadn't been feeling Logan move at all for the last week and half or so, and decided to call the doctor early yesterday morning. They decided to have me come in just to make sure everything is okay. I went in and they used the dopplar to find the heartbeat, and luckily they found it right away and it was 163 beats per minute, very strong. I was so relieved and happy, I couldn't stop crying. The doctor said Logan probably just found a comfy little spot and he's still so small that I just couldn't feel him squirming around. They could hear movement with the doppler, so he's okay!! And then of course last night after dinner I start feeling him move like crazy. It made me so happy! Other than that little scare, everything is going great. I am loving my baby belly, it's very noticeable that I'm pregnant. Oh, and we picked out the nursery theme: frogs! It will be green, blue and yellow. We are going to register this weekend! :)

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May 15th- I haven't updated this in awhile, we have just been so busy getting ready for Logan! My baby shower is set for June 29th, and my sister is planning it. We are so excited! I have been working a lot, trying to get as much OT as possible, got lots of baby stuff to buy! I am trying to wait until after the shower to buy anything, but it's very hard! I feel the baby moving all the time, and absolutely love it. He is getting pretty heavy though, and my back has been hurting pretty bad. My doctor referred me to physical therapy, and they taught me some great stretches I can do, to relieve some of the back pain. Be back soon!

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July 5th- Only 34 days to go! I am getting so excited for my baby to finally make his appearance! I am also very nervous for the delivery. Eek! So my shower was last weekend, and it was so hot that day! Other than that the shower was great, my sister did an AWESOME job. We now have just about everything we need, the nursery will be complete as soon as we get the crib mattress. We got our Frog Prince bedding set! It is absolutely adorable, and perfect. I am still working, and plan to work as long as possible so I will have as much time with the baby as possible before going back to work, I get 8 weeks paid maternity leave. I have been feeling pretty uncomfortable lately, this belly is definitely getting in the way! And I have some SERIOUS CANKLES! LOL but hey it will all be worth it when my baby is finally here!

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Justmommies.com labor prediction quiz:

You won't need to try any secret recipes to bring on labor. Have your emergency numbers ready. Don't wait until the last minute to get your nursery ready. We predict your baby will come 1-2 weeks early. Your baby will most likely be born in the morning. Justmommies predicts that your baby will weigh approximately 8.3 pounds and that your labor will be about 12 hours long.

Pregnancy Survey
About You
Name?:	Melanie
Age?:	25
Height?:	5'4
Pre-pregnancy weight?:	130 lbs
About The Father
Name?:	Michael
Age?:	21
Height?:	6'2
Are you still together?:	Yes, we are engaged
About Your Pregnancy
Is this your first pregnancy?:	Yes
When did you find out you were pregnant?:	December 15th-ish
Was it planned?:	Nope
What was your first reaction?:	Happy & nervous
Who was with you when you found out?:	Michael
Who was the first person you told?:	My friend Alia
How did your parents react?:	They were surprised but happy
How far along are you?:	29 weeks
What was your first symptom?:	My breasts hurt and grew huge!
What is your due date?:	08/08/08
Do you know the sex of the baby?:	Yes
If so, what is it?:	Boy!
Have you picked out names?:	Yes
If so, what are they?:	Logan Michael
How much weight have you gained?:	30 lbs
Do you have stretch marks?:	Nope, so far so good...
Have you felt the baby move?:	Yes, and I LOVE it
Have you heard the heartbeat?:	Yes
About the birth
Will you keep the baby?:	Yes
Home or hospital birth?:	Hospital
Natural or medicated birth?:	Bring on the epi
Who will be in the delivery room with you?:	Michael
Will you breastfeed?:	Yes
Do you think you'll need a c-section?:	I hope not, but whatever happens happens
Will you cry when you hold the baby for the first time?:	I know for sure I will
What's the first thing you might say to him/her?:	Hey little angel, or actually probably nothing I'll be crying too hard
Would you let someone videotape the birth?:	Hmm, probably not, if anything maybe over the shoulder, no crotch shots!
Are you excited about the birth, or scared?:	Scared for the actual birthing process, but so excited for Logan to be here!
Take this survey | Find more surveys Bzoink - The Original Survey Site ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~Birth Story~ I thought my water broke on 7/30, went to Labor & Delivery, but found out it was not my water breaking. Started cramping right after that, all through that night and the enitire next day. Realized the cramps were coming at regular intervals, and realized they were contractions! They started to get more regular at 5pm on 7/31, waited until 3am when they were 5 min apart, went to the hospital but I was only 2 cm dialted. They monitored me for awhile, then said if I didn`t dialate in 30 min (by 8am) they would send me home! The contractions were so painful, I couldn`t imagine going all the way home. Luckily, in that 30 min I dialtated to 4cm. I got the epirual at that point (yay!! Heaven!), then labored all that day. Started pushing at 2pm, Logan was born at 4:14pm. 9 pounds, 2 ounces! I didn`t tear or anything, because my doctor was great and had me go nice and slow when pushing. He is perfect in every way, and I can`t stop staring at him! Love at first sight!!