19 Weeks... Almost half-way there!

Cherished Family and Friends,

Well, we have made it almost half-way through and get more and more excited every day about meeting our precious little boy! There is much to fill you in on so here goes...

We had our "big" 18-20 week ultrasound last week and it was not quite the experience we were expecting. All I can say is that I am so glad we found out the sex the way we did (at the 3D ultrasound) rather than last week. To say that it was less than sentimental is an understatement. They did, however, doubly confirm for us that it is in fact a boy so we were glad about that! There were a few things that were done in the ultrasound that seemed to be rather unorthodox and it had us very concerned. I could tell that they were "looking" for (or at) something over and again and that something may not be right. It had us on pins and needles for about 24 hours until our Midwife emailed us and confirmed everything was okay. PHEW!!

We had our follow up appointment with the Midwife today to go over the ultrasound results and confirmed just what that "something" was. Turns out I have marginal Placenta Previa- this is where the Placenta can partially or totally cover the cervix, blocking the escape hatch for the baby. It can be dangerous but, 90% of the time, resolves itself. In my case, it surely will be resolved in the next few weeks as my uterus continues to grow with the baby. PHEW again!!!

Elijah is looking GREAT!! He has the longest legs I think I have ever seen in-utero as you can hopefully see in the picture. We are definitely counting on a star athlete (no pressure, Elijah)!!

I am feeling great, aside from getting larger by the minute! I continue to teach Spin 4 times per week and, while I am slowing down a bit, can hopefully continue to teach until I pop or can't reach the handlebars anymore! I have gained 8.5 lbs so far... Normal weight gain is anywhere from 8-14 lbs at this point. My measurements have stayed pretty consistent collectively, though the belly has expanded 1 1/4 inches in the past month! That, I think you can also tell from the picture.

We started our registry this past weekend and it was exciting, overwhelming, and exhausting! We are registered at both Babies 'R Us and Target, though there are only a few items on the target registry at the moment.

Big Daddy news for the week- He got to feel his little boy for the very first time last night!! Elijah is extremely active and is already kicking like a maniac with those long legs! Could he be an athlete?! We will see!

Our next appointment is December 23 but I will surely update with another belly pic before then!

Love to you all and wishing you the very happiest holidays,

Dan, Jessica, Baby Elijah, and Moses