Fun Facts about Momma:

• Banana milkshakes, cake icing and Tootsie Rolls are my absolute fav.

• I officially have cankles and puffy toes, which I'm sure the icing and milkshakes have absolutely nothing to do with!!

• I'm sleeping like a rock with my new Snoogle Maternity body pillow, and I don't wake up near as sore in the morning. (Hint -- You need this even if you're not preggers)

• My hair is falling out, but growing like crazy.

• I've accepted the fact that I will break out into a drenching sweat at any given moment, and there is no way to be prepared for that.

• Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. I guess this means I better have banana's, milkshakes, icing and tootsie rolls on hand once she starts eating people food!

• She's super active and kicks when we talk to her. I think she already recognizes her name.

• Her closet is already half-way full, and I've only contributed one item so far. Not because I don't want to, but we've had some very generous gifts and donations, and I haven't had to!

• She has more hair bows now, than I've had my entire life.

• We finally found her bedroom furniture, which we will be ordering this weekend...

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On Tuesday we had our 21 week doctor appointment. In addition to our regular quick visit, where all my vitals are taken and we chat with the doc about any of our concerns, we got our regularly scheduled ultrasound.

Throughout the pregnancy, my doctor only does 2 regularly scheduled ultrasounds. From what I understand, different offices may do this differently. Some of my friends get more than 2 ultrasounds. You'll remember we did pay for an extra one to determine if Baby P was a boy or a girl. But normally, the first, you'll remember was to confirm we were pregnant at 8 weeks. The second, at this appointment, was to check her growth progress and to be sure she was growing according to plan.

The entire appointment took forever, but the ultrasound itself took about 30 minutes. The first thing we asked her to do, was double check that she is actually a she. And the result is....drum roll please....Of Course!! She is definitely a girl, and a very dramatic one at that! More on that later...

The next thing she checked on was her head size, which I don't know how big it was exactly, but it measured at 20 weeks and 5 days. So I'm technically a little less than 21 weeks along (well I'm 21 weeks now!), but not enough to change our due date. From there, since the little bugger was squirming around so much, the tech just tried to find whatever body parts she could!

She found her big pouty lips (which I'm sure SG will use against her daddy immediately!), her right ear, then her right arm with all 5 fingers...then her leg bones, knee bones, ankle bones and tiny foot...complete with 5 toes. Owen said "Well, at least we know she's got one good side!!"

Then she found her stomach, and determined that she has a stomach, bladder, kidneys and liver. It's just amazing what those machines can see! Her spine was perfect, and looked very long to me! But it was normal! The umbilical cord had 3 valves like it's supposed to, and the blood flow through it was good.

And then there was the heart. Oh my gosh the heart. I think my heart stopped when we saw it. This may sound strange, but it was such a beautiful heart. After zooming in, we could see all 4 chambers working beautifully. It was truly a work of God to see something so amazing. I mean, I don't know much about the heart, but you could see it so clearly, and working so flawlessly. I was in absolute awe.

After the heart, she found the left side of her appendages, so now we know she has two good sides! And while we were checking out her heart, the little drama queen took the back of her right forearm up to her forehead, as if to say "{Sigh} Are we done yet...It's time for my nap." It was so funny. Even the technician commented on it!

So after the ultrasound, we went back into the waiting room to wait to see the doc, while she reviewed the results. She called us back, and told us that we have a "very active fetus" and that all was well with the baby.

They did find a 4cm uterine fibroid in my uterus that was not there prior to the pregnancy. The doctor thought that it was very odd, but assured us that it's not a big deal. She said lots of women have them, and have healthy babies all the time. We asked her about the chances of it growing, or turning cancerous. She said it could grow, but that would probably happen after she's born. There's a teeny tiny TINY chance it could turn cancerous, but she said that is so rare that it's HIGHLY unlikely.

So naturally our next question was about removing it. The doctor was not a fan of this, because she would have to destroy my uterus to get to it, which means having other children goes out the window. Plus she said she doesn't want to remove it if it's not causing problems...and it's not, and probably never will. We never would've known it was there without the ultrasound, and it's not bothering me or Sayla Grace. We were asking so many questions, (which she was answering) that she told us "Seriously guys, it's not a big deal, and we're spending way too much time talking about it." That's what I like about her. She shoots you straight and doesn't sugar coat anything.

Even though, we left with our video, pictures and a slightly worried look on our faces. But after I researched the fibroids, we're not worried anymore. The doctor was very reassuring, and it's out of our hands anyway. We just ask that you remember my uterus and the baby inside it in your prayers!!!

I tried to upload the video, but it was taking absolutely forever, and I'm not even sure I was doing it right. I'll play with it over the next couple of days and see if I can get it to upload. So sorry!

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Sayla got some new diggs from her Mimi the other day. She tapped on my belly a few times to let me know that she likes them!

And here's my baby bump at 20 weeks...

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Check out what our little fruitcake is up to this week!!

{Gasp!} There's a cantelope in my belly!!

Her digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells) YUCK!, which will fill the first diaper, which Owen gets to change, after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed! Super!

Only 3 more days until we get to verify that we picked out the right bedding! Which came the other day, by the way! It is much prettier in person than it was on the website, which is always a plus!

And Saturday Mimi (that's my mom) and I will make the trek to Montgomery to "Name Dropper" on the quest for furniture. It comes highly recommended as a reasonable one stop shop for all things baby. Fingers crossed!! I'm hoping to come home with something picked out and ready to order!

I'd go ahead and order it, but my husband and I have this rule that we can't spend large quantities of money without discussing with one another first. The rule was put in place because I have a tendancy to "bubble gum shop" - buying anything cute that comes across my path without thinking...kind of like buying a pack of gum.

I'll be sure and give you an update as soon as I can. Until then...Toodles!! Enjoy your weekend!

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I cannot believe we are already half-way through the pregnancy. I hit the 20 week mark on Sunday, and we are well on our way to meeting this angel in a few short months.

I know the next 4 months are going to seem like agony, especially in this heat! But in the end they will have flown by just as fast as the first 5 did.

Here's a few updates on me, Owen and the little one:

I'm not sleeping well anymore. I guess God is preparing my body for the sleepless nights. And unbeknownst to him, Owen is also being prepared. Because every time I toss and turn, I grumble and moan, which wakes him up. So he's not sleeping well either! The biggest reason is because I'm a back sleeper, and I can't do that anymore - doctor's orders. Apparently there's a major artery that runs behind my uterus, and the growing weight of the baby and my fat belly can put pressure on that artery to the point of it shutting off circulation to me and the baby. So I'm not supposed to lay flat for more than 15 minutes. In an effort to keep from rolling on my back, I wedge pillows behind me, which has made me highly claustrophobic and makes me very sore by morning. Today I ordered a pregnancy body pillow, that is supposed to help with that. We'll see!

Owen is falling more and more in love with Sayla Grace every day. He would die if I told you this, but since he doesn't even know the web address to our blog, I think I'm safe! He's talking to my belly now which is so sweet. And in every prayer she is lifted up and prayers of a strong, healthy baby are prayed. It won't be long before she has him totally wrapped around that little finger.

Sayla Grace is one active puppy. She typically wakes with me in the morning for her morning gymnastics routine, and loves a good flip or two after every meal. And in true baby style, she's most active right before bedtime. I have a feeling that bedtime will be a nightmare with this one!! She's quite the boxer too. I'm not sure what organ she's hitting (besides my bladder), but she loves to throw a good punch in every now and then that will send me doubling over. Such a trickster that kid!!

We go for our 21 week appointment on Tuesday, and we'll have our big ultrasound then. We opted out of the blood test for Downs Syndrome and some other diseases. After discussing with the doctor, we decided it wasn't our cup of tea. There is a 15% false positive rate, and with a positive, you have to get the amniocentesis - where they stick a needle in my belly to draw out the amniotic fluid for testing. And they may even draw babies blood too, I'm not sure. Anyway, we had already decided we did not want the amnio - because that carries a small risk of miscarriage - and any risk that can be avoided shall be. Plus, the outcome won't change anything for us. Other than making us more grateful that God decided we could handle a child with disabilities. So the doctor will do as many checks for DS as she can with the ultrasound - measuring her arms and legs and stuff. And this one is recorded on DVD, so I'll share it as soon as I can download it!

We're still shopping for furniture (I'm looking for white), but the bedding should be here this week! I can't wait to see it...We ordered 2 sets. One that looks like the below, and the other is opposite with the polka dot bumper and damask sheets. Because I'm just sure I'll change it out every once and a while!! {wink, wink!}

*Adorable baby not included!!

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When Owen and I met, one of our first 'daytime' dates was a trip to the zoo. We had so much fun that day, that we try to go at least once a year. With wedding planning last year, we never made it, so we vowed to go back this year!

Because he went out of town for his birthday last month (on a guy's trip), he and I didn't get to really celebrate. So a few weekends ago, we packed up and headed to the zoo. I guess we didn't really pack anything since it was just the two of us...but you get the idea!

Going to the zoo on the first Saturday of the summer with no rain was not the brightest idea. First, it was HOT. Like sweltering. And second, it was a zoo...literally. There were probably 1,000 people there.

But we suffered through it and had a grand time. There wasn't really anything new, except the Kangaroo exhibit (which Owen loved!), and the Rhinos - they were kind of boring. And there were a few disappointments - the elephant must've been on vacation, because he was no where to be found. There were also some "red pigs" that smelled really bad. We didn't stay around them long.

A new feature they have (since the last time we went) was the Sea Lion show. Well, the show wasn't new, but the nice bleachers they have set up were. So at 2p we ventured over to the show to find a seat. My one complaint is that the seating area needs to be a bit more shaded. Or maybe if I wasn't with child it would've been ok. No one else seemed to mind, so it was probably just me.

And then I did something I swore I would never do at the zoo...I ate zoo food. {Gasp!} I really didn't have a choice. We went right during the lunch hour, and didn't eat beforehand, and I was STARVING!! So we found the most inconspicuous cafe - as far away from the animals as we could get - and an 'indoor' one, so I didn't have to smell red pigs while we ate. I played it safe with the chicken fingers and fries. I figured I couldn't go wrong with the frozen chicken and fries. And it turned out I was right. Zoo food's not that bad after all. I mean...don't get me wrong, it's not my first choice, but we were there, and I was about ready to eat the pig in the petting zoo.

All in all it was a very fun, hot day! I can't wait to take Sayla Grace there when she is old enough, and start a new family tradition!

Here's some snapshots of our adventure....

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Please excuse the crazy look of the blog right now. I'm trying to make it cuter, and I'm having issues. Consider the blog under construction at the moment...but I'll keep posting!

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It's been a few weeks since I updated you on how big Miss Sayla Grace is getting. So here's a little info on what she's been up to in mommy's belly the past few weeks.

I'm now 19 weeks along...Sunday I'll be half way there!! But here's how she's grown since week 17 when I last updated you on her stats!

Week 18 - At week 18, she was as big as a Sweet Potato!! But hopefully much cuter!
She has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to me), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping (which we got to see on our last ultrasound!), rolling, twisting, kicking, punching (which I feel multiple times a day!), sucking and swallowing. I can feel her moving like crazy, and on our last ultrasound, we got to see her in action! She's super duper active!!

Week 19 - She's now the size of a Mango! Really? A Mango...who eats those unless you're on an island somewhere?? I'm not even sure how big a mango is, but apparently, it's this big...

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats her skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) We might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature. But prayerfully she won't be!!

I'm still loving salty foods, but she is loving when I eat sweets. At least I think those are punches of endearment...and not mad little baby punches!! One night I ate Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal for dinner, and she kicked, punched and flipped for about an hour afterwards! I think she really liked it!

We have our next doctor's appointment on June 16th. We will get another (regularly scheduled) ultrasound to see our little mango! This one is to check to see that she's growing on schedule and has all of her fingers and toes. We'll also double check that she is in fact Little Miss Sayla Grace, and not a sneaky Mr. John Owen the 4th!!

And I'm very excited that this next ultrasound will be recorded on DVD, and hopefully she will cooperate and give us a good little show for me to share with you all!! Maybe I'll eat some Cinnamon Toast Crunch for breakfast that morning to ensure she's wide awake!

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