I think everyone has already heard, but Imma shout it from the rooftops: it is a boy!
We had our final appointment two weeks ago for the screening process that we’ve been through to determine risk for Down’s Syndrome, neural tube defects, etc. – and everything has been perfectly normal! That last ultrasound was for fetal anatomy – and measurements were made from head to toe, including size of brain parts, size of heart and number of chambers (4!), kidneys (2!), and length measurements of extremities including arms, legs, fingers, and toes! This sweet baby boy is the size of a banana (about 7 inches head to rump) and last week we’ll officially reached the half-way point of this pregnancy! It is actually starting to go by a little faster – and I guess before we all realize it’ll be NOVEMBER! I haven’t scanned the latest ultrasound pictures into the computer yet – that’ll give everyone something to look forward to in the next email. Overall, the ultrasound was incredible but there weren’t any 3D images this time – he had his wittle face pressed right up against the placenta so when she tried to convert to 3D there wasn’t really anything to see – it was fuzzy and he had one little hand in front of his mouth/nose. Anyways, it really made me appreciate the 3D pictures we got at 12 weeks (can you even believe that was 2 months ago?!?!?!) Those images were so clear – much better than most people are able to see. I almost feel like God made that possible just for me – to give me something to see to believe that it was all going to be ok. Save for a few moments of anxiety, I’ve been mostly fear-free for quite awhile. All that worry has been supplanted by blooming love for this baby!
I’m experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions (which isn’t much fun) and I’ve also felt the baby move! The first time I felt him move was about 3 weeks ago in my primary physician’s office, actually just seconds after my he asked me if I’d felt any movement yet and I had replied “No. Oh. Wait. Yes. Oh my gosh. Yes. Just now. That was it! I felt it!” It felt almost like a subtle smooth movement similar to a wave. At first I felt him a few times a day at best and only in the evenings, but now I am starting to feel him all the time. And his movements have gotten a lot stronger. When Mom was here we were out shopping and I felt a kick that was so strong that my entire body jerked a little at the surprise of it! This morning I felt him just as I was waking up. And he is still most active at night, but if I’m sitting in the car too long or sitting at my desk at work and am leaning forward, he really starts with the pushing and kicking, almost as if to say ‘Mom, you’re crowding me! Gimmie some room in here!’. Sometimes I talk to him when I feel him moving around - and I’m committed to saying his name very softly and I draw it out real Southern-like. No New-Englander-accent for this baby! I’m gonna infuse him with Southern chivalry, manners, and as much of a draw as I can teach him!
So the name we like best is Samuel Paul. When Dave says it, he says Governor Samuel Paul Smith. And I just call him Sam. Real sweet and slow and Southern: Saaaammm. Mom says she’s gonna call him Sammy and Denise insists he will be Samuel. Whatever. I don’t care what anyone calls him – I’ll just call him MINE!
Mom and Denise and I have already done some shopping! We’ve registered at a few places and have even bought a few things – a portable play pen that will double as a bed for HIM when we come home for Christmas! We’ve picked out the crib, stroller, car seat, and a bunch of little precious onesies and caps and blankets and I love green as the color for this baby. Blue is fun too, but I think I’m gonna try for green/browns/tans for the crib sets and stuff – as Dave says ‘farm colors”.
This is SO much fun! I’m growing by the day! I’m attaching a few pictures of me – The first is week 17, then 18, 19, and the last two are early and later in week 20.
Everything else is going well. The chickens are BIG and the bees are happy. We have a crop of carrots in the ground that will be mature in September – and we’re selling them to a CSA program in Massachusetts. And since this is our first crop, we WAY overshot the number of seeds we’d need (on purpose, of course), so we’re going to have TONS extra. And so then we’ll probably eat carrots until we all turn orange and grow stalks!
I’m attaching a few pictures of the farm/chicks/bees/etc AND some pictures of the chicks in the beginning just so you can see the difference.
I’m also attaching these crazy pictures of me, Mom, and Dad at the airport – Mom stayed a few extra days because after all the shopping and ultrasound-ing, I came down with what felt like the plague. Thank goodness for Mommy’s! It was so nice to be able to just be sick and let her take care of me –and so as it worked out, I took her to airport Saturday morning and picked up Daddy at the same time! Such a treat to have BOTH my parents and even on the SAME day!
OH! And today is Winson’s FIRST birthday! I had a long talk with him yesterday about how he was going to be a big brother and all the responsibility that goes along with it…but I assured him that he’d always be my first baby. He’s gotten even more clingy lately, if you can believe it! And, strangely enough, his new favorite place to sit/lay/relax is across my belly. Whenever I’m lying down, he likes to come and lay right across the bottom of my belly, which makes Sam kick! I wonder if Winston can feel it? So, Dave and I will be singing happy birthday to Winston tonight!
Love you all!
Talk to you soon,
Shelly and baby Sam
PS! I uploaded pictures and found lots that you all haven’t seen yet – Mother’s Day (including the flowers I received for being a Mother-to-be) and Dave’s Graduation!
PPS! I found a SONIC in Boston!!!!
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