18 Weeks

Well finally something to get excited about at 18 weeks! I felt the baby move on Monday September 28th. I felt it twice in fact. The first time I was laying in my warm bed after taking my morning shower and I felt a little brush of something about 3 inches below my belly button. It happened about three times in one minute. I had a feeling it might be the baby, but chalked it up to gas. But about 1:00, while I was grading papers in class, there it was again. I knew it was the baby this time. It's so exciting! Week 18 has been the best so far! But our next doctor's appointment is 12 days away and I am also excited for that. We get to find out the sex of our baby in less than 2 weeks! Matt is still hoping for a boy, but at this time I just want a healthy baby. I have no preferences and my feeling of a girl has disappeared. We are just anxious to start decorating the nursery and buying bedding for baby Holmes. The belly continues to grow and I have begun to love sweatpants more and more. Even my gym shorts are feeling tight. I am still feeling great 99% of the time and hope the rest of the pregnancy continues in this fashion.

16 Weeks

Well, I gave in to the power of maternity clothes today. I wore my new green elastic waistband pants to school today. And boy are they comfortable. This decision came after yesterday at church when I had to unbutton my pants to sit down after worship. I looked over at Matt and he was just shaking his head. Natalie and baby Turner came over for the Chiefs game after church. Matt did such a good job holding 4 week old Turner. By the end of their visit he looked like a pro with Turner tucked in one arm and a diet coke in the other hand. It's hard to believe this will be what a typical weekend looks like in just 5 short months.
Last week at the doctor's we set our appointment to find out the sex. It is on October 13 at 2:00 in the afternoon. I am so excited. Although my mom is disappointed we are not going to wait to find out the sex, I cannot take the suspense. I am a planner and not up for surprises of this magnitude. As soon as we find out if we are having a boy or a girl, the shopping can begin!

heartbeat!

We heard the babys heartbeat on Wednesday at our monthly checkup! The heartbeat was 150 beats per minute, right where it should be. We still can't hear the heartbeat with the doppler that we bought, but it's not quite hospital grade equipment. One of Andreas coworkers who recently had a baby boy, Turner, came over to watch the Chiefs game with us. This was a pretty good preview for what we will be doing in about 6 months. Gracie was not sure what to think of Turner, any time he made noises Gracie wanted to come over and sniff him to figure out what this new noise is.

M.H.

We purchased a baby heart doppler to try and hear the babys heart beat. No luck so far, but it's still pretty early to be hearing the heartbeat. We have another doctors appointment this week, a routine monthly exam to check up on the baby and make sure we are progressing as we should be. It's still too early to know the gender, that won't come until October. Thus far the realization hasn't quite settled in that we are going to be parents in 6 months. I think once we know the gender we will be able to make plans and it will be very real then!

M.H.

Week 14

Here we are at Week 14. School is in full swing and softball is going well too. Matt spend the last two weeks traveling off and on, so it was just me, Gracie, and the baby. I am anxiously waiting to feel the baby move. One of my friends said she first felt her baby at week 14, so I find myself laying very still at night concentrating on every rumble of my tummy. In these 10 weeks we have known about the baby, I am convinced that God wants me to have tons of kids since he has made this pregnancy so amazing. My belly is still growing every week and now even students have started to comment on my "pooch". There is a 'look and don't touch' policy that I have had to inforce already though. My belly seems to look really big one day and then the next I can hold it in and still see my abs. I know it will become more consistent and those abs will be gone in a few short weeks.
Matt seems to be getting more excited about the baby now. He cupped his hands on my belly this weekend and said, "How's my baby boy doing in there?" I told him that she was offended by being called a boy. Boy or girl... we will be thrilled. Seven more days until our next doctor's appointment. Hopefully we will be able to hear the heartbeat for the first time. I am still amazed! I still wake up every morning and about the time I am going to the bathroom I have this sudden realization... wow, I'm pregnant. It's like I forget everynight when I go to sleep. But what a wonderful suprise to wake up to every morning. It still makes me giggle everytime I do it.

Second Trimester

Well I welcomed in the second trimester with a long awaited hair appointment to get my hair cut and colored. Praise Jesus, because I was rocking the roots! My hair is growing so fast because of the prenatal vitamins I am taking and I think it is growing out a little darker too. With school in it's second week, softball is in full swing. We have out first games tonight. I will be sporting the catchers gear on first base to protect my little one from any foul balls. Matt said the baby was the size of a peach, but in another magazine it was compared it to a Nutter Butter Cookie. I like this comparison better, but mostly because it sounds good and I am already hungry for lunch at 9:45. I am wearing a little red dress today which shows off my ever-so-subtle bump. I hate it when people tell me I am not even showing. Yes I am. There is something there. I just look a little out of shape or maybe like I need to go to the bathroom really really bad. But it's there. 7 more weeks until we get to find out the sex. It is killing me. Matt won't talk names with me until we find out if it is a girl or a boy. But if you want in on the secret, it's a girl. I can feel it. Don't tell Matt though.

Week 13

Today marks the beginning of week 13. The fetus is now the size of a peach and weighs about a half ounce. The facial features are beginning to take shape and the finers and toes are fully seperated. The baby will actucally begin to suck its thumb very soon. With the first trimester drawing to an end, Andrea has had a great pregnancy thus far. No morning sickness or any other problems. Within the next few weeks Andrea will start to show as the baby grows rapidly during the second trimester.
M.H.