Ian and I found out we were pregnant the day before we left to work Camp Promise. I had a gut feeling that I was pregnant and decided to take a pregnancy test while Ian was at work. The line was so faint I nearly missed it. I started crying, jumping, and praising God. It took everything I had not to pick up the phone and starting calling everyone. I couldn't wait for Ian to get home from work!!
I still can't figure out why Ian thought I left a negative pregnancy test on the bathroom counter. He was obviously in a state of disbelief.
After returning from camp I took another pregnancy test so Ian could see a darker line.
Our first ultrasound picture taken at 6weeks and 3 days!! We felt a big sigh of relief after seeing our growing baby! The midwife even saw a little flicker (the heartbeat). I couldn't see it. My eyes were too blurred. Now that we had our picture in hand we could announce to family.....
We ordered shirts for the dogs to announce our pregnancy to Mom and Dad. We also framed pictures of the ultrasound and pasted an Arriving March 2011 label on the frame to hand out to our parents.
I wish we would have captured everyone's reaction on video. What a wonderful keepsake this will be!!
Ian and I went to our 10wk appointment in anticipation of hearing the heartbeat for the first time. Unfortunately the midwife could not find the heartbeat. She predicted the baby is a boy because boys always give her a hard time. Anyway, to find out what was going on and make sure everything was okay she did an "unofficial ultrasound". We were thrilled to get another peak at our little lime (Ian has an app on his iphone that tells us what size our baby is based on fruit). I thought I would share the ultrasound picture with you since it actually looks like a baby! He was sleeping and wouldn't move for us, but we could see a bright flicker in the middle of the chest beating away. So far everything looks great!
During our 12wk appointment we received another ultrasound for our nuchal translucency test. The pictures are almost identical to the 10wk ultrasound pictures, except our baby is now the size of a plum. The baby was yet again sleeping with his hand on his forehead. We did see him do a little jump during the test. We heard the heartbeat this time. What a beautiful sound!! It was beating away at 164bpm! A healthy baby!
The Baby Bump has started to grow!! We took this picture right before we left for our vacation at 16 weeks. I started to feel flutters a few days prior. I thought this was too early, but the nurse assured me that I would probably start feeling movement early because I'm on the slim side. We will find out the gender at 19 weeks on October 8th! The time is already flying by!
IT'S A BOY!!!!! I hate half a donut on the way so we can see the little guy move around.....didn't work out too well. I guess I should have eaten the whole donut! The sonogram technician couldn't get a profile shot because he wouldn't turn over for us. He kept staring at us the whole time which is why he looks a little scary. You can see the video shake as she gives him a few nudges to get him to move. Watch the baby's mouth after the second nudge and you can see him yawn! If you watch the baby's upper half while we were taking a look down under you can see his hands covering his face. It was hilarious. Poor Elijah was so embarrassed and just wanted us to leave him alone so he could go back to sleep! All the organs looked great and my blood work came back normal. Elijah Christopher Harms is growing right on track!
Elijah has really started to make his presence known!! He is very active at night and the early morning. I was able to capture some video of him moving last night while laying on the couch with Lillie. He poked at her a few times and she moved to a different spot on my stomach. I wish we were able to see what he was doing in there! (It's harder to see the movement in full screen because of the blurring)
We went for another routine OB visit today as well as my glucose tolerance test. I had to drink this really sugary orange drink and wait a hour before having my sugar checked. I had a level of 117 and anything over 140 is considered "worrisome" for gestational diabetes. I pass!! I have included a video with our midwife Amy checking the heartbeat of our little guy. His heart is pumping away at around 135 beats per minute. Only two more weeks until my third trimester!!
Lillie loves to lay on my stomach now that I'm pregnant. I've read that dogs are able to hear fetal heartbeats. Elijah is starting to move in waves now instead of just giving me jabs. I think Lillie enjoys feeling him move around. Ian and I are constantly trying to figure out what body part we're seeing and feeling.
The third trimester has been flying by!! I've been so busy with holidays, work, getting the nursery ready and more frequent appointments. I can't believe I am almost 36 weeks already! I will be considered full term at 37 weeks and can have the baby at anytime from then on! AHHHH!!!
My sister Andrea flew down to host my baby shower with my mom. It was an amazing and fun shower. I am so grateful for all the time, energy and love they put into the event. Thank you to all our family and friends that made the event so memorable! Elijah was showered with love and got some amazing gifts!
We had our maternity pictures taken right around 34 weeks by Dana with Dana Fontaine Photography. Ian and I went to high school with her and her fiance. She did an amazing job and we are looking forward to the newborn shoot. If you want to see the rest of the pictures check out my facebook page!
This picture was taken at 35 weeks also known as milestone 35/35. 35 weeks into the pregnancy and 35 days left!! I had a doctor's appointment earlier this week and they told me I was measuring on the small side. Although I feel HUGE everyone has been telling me I look small at 35 weeks. I've gained over 25lbs, so I'm not too concerned. I am scheduled for a growth ultrasound on February 9th to make sure Elijah is growing okay.
This picture is a little owly looking, but it shows off his eyes! The black part is his eye socket and inside you will see a little white spot. That is his eye lens. Pretty incredible huh?
This picture is a profile shot that we were never able to capture in earlier ultrasounds. He has his face planted against my placenta due to the lack of space, so it's a little hard to see.
Still very much a boy!
His foot is pushing up. His favorite position!!
Our growth ultrasound went great! He was estimated to be 6lbs 7oz at 36 weeks 5 days. However, the estimates can by off by a pound either way. His measurements are right at 36/37 weeks. He's still a healthy boy! Here is the actual ultrasound. Look closely and you can see him sticking his tongue out as he drinks the amniotic fluid. Pretty amazing!
(If you want to see the video larger then click on the screen and it will take you to the video on you tube.)
Here is Elijah's nursery. It was a lot of fun putting it together. We did a Noah's Ark theme, but kept it pretty simple. Now we just need Elijah to complete it!!
My due date has arrived!!! My appointment was somewhat disappointing today because I haven't made as much progress as I had hoped. I have been having contractions, but apparently they aren't dilating my cervix. I am really thinned out and he is really low, so anything can happen! If I don't go into labor in the next 10 days they will have to induce me. The midwife estimated that Elijah is around 7lbs. That's the size of a Lillie!!
