Sacrifice and Soda Cans

I hear that being a mom is all about making sacrifices, so I thought I would begin to practice that today. Rather than take the nap that I have been looking forward to since 5:30am, I am going to update my blog for my sister. (She's the only one who has threatened to disown me...and even given me a time limit). She sure runs a tight ship, but I do like her and would like to keep her. So here is the update.

I am now past the halfway mark of this pregnancy ringing in at 22 weeks this Saturday! I can't believe it's going so fast and I hope it continues to do so because I'm very eager to meet "Baby Amore". :) I am feeling great and loving this stage! Luckily being in the spotlight has never particularly bothered me, so I relish the glances at my stomach, sweet comments, and the occasional belly rub! :) We had a level II ultrasound a couple weeks ago that was amazing! We watched a whole hour of our baby moving around! :) We even got a couple 3D ultrasound pictures. I've always found those a bit creepy, but it was pretty neat to see! Jon thinks the baby has my chin and his nose! :) Seems like a good combination to me. Unfortunately the baby was moving around so much they couldn't get a very clear 3D picture...maybe next time. There will be many more next times because they want me go to the hospital for ultrasounds every 4 weeks until the delivery because of my hypothyroidism. I'm considered high risk, but we're not concerned because my levels have been great, just enjoying the show for now while the doctors keep their eyes on things!

One of the most exciting updates is that I've been feeling the baby move! I first felt the baby at 17 weeks at church. What an indescribably sweet feeling! I think we have a very active little one! Jon was able to feel the baby a couple weeks ago, and since then I've seen the movements too! Wow. I'm captivated. Here are a couple pictures, although I already feel like these don't do the bump justice!

16 weeks

20 weeks

At the time this picture was taken (2 weeks ago) the baby was 12 oz., so next time you see a can of soda think of Baby Amore! :) Maybe even a 20 oz. bottle of soda soon!

Showing?

I'd say so, but you can decide for yourself.

Exhibit A:

13 weeks

Exhibit B:

11 weeks

Missing You...

Yes, YOU, my blogger friends! It’s been too long. My sister finally put the pressure on and I told her I’d have a post up by today. What pressure. I was up all night, my mind swirling with ideas. I’m actually writing this at midnight with hopes that then I'll be able to fall asleep. So, here's my attempt to fill you in on the last four or so months.

Jon and I had a very exciting spring. I’ve decided there is nothing quite like Connecticut’s autumn and spring. Wow. Gorgeous scenery. Beautiful weather. I was loving it! To top that off we had some grand adventures and more guests! After the Ingram’s visit in March, we went down to Washington D.C. for a weekend during the Cherry Blossom Festival. Unfortunately there was a storm shortly before we arrived that wiped out most of the blossoms, but we found a few token trees and tried to get that perfect picture of course. We went down for one night to see two of Jon’s classmates run in a ten mile race. Then we explored the city—mostly the mall—free museums! We also went to Georgetown for one evening. I think D.C. is my favorite city. It was so beautiful, clean, and fun. We didn’t have nearly enough time to take it all in, but I’m so glad we got the opportunity to see it together.

Then Jon graduated in May, and his dad came out for the ceremony where Jon gave a speech! It was quite spectacular! :) Later in May Jon took Maya and drove out to Michigan to the lakes—aka heaven—for a Moore boy fishing trip. What a perfect break it was for Jon after all his hard work this last year. While he was away, I got the chance to chaperone the Bristow band and orchestra trip to Philadelphia. It was more like a vacation than work. We went on a dinner cruise on the Delaware River, spent one day at Six Flags, and toured Philadelphia another day. Plus one of my good friends from work, Laura, was the other female chaperone. What a great getaway while Jon was on his trip. When Jon returned, he came baring a little gift—Peter! Peter stayed with us for a little over a week. It was wonderful. Jon and he got to spend the days together while I was at work. Then on Saturday we went to Boston and embarked on a Duck Tour. Sunday we spent in NYC with Peter’s good friends Nate and Andrea. This was one of my favorite trips to New York even though we got rained out of Central Park. It was so great spending it with friends from home and getting to know Nate and Andrea better. What an awesome couple they are!

For such a busy spring, our summer really slowed down. Jon started his residency at the end of June at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, and I took it easy with many 3 hour afternoon naps. I suppose pregnancy does that to a woman! Yep, that’s right we’re (well I’m) pregnant! We found out on June 19th, the day after school ended for me. I’m so glad it was summer during the first trimester because I was wiped out! Thankfully I was not very sick at all, mostly just tired. Whew! It feels so good to get that out! I can now start posting all of my fun pictures and milestones. I can’t wait to meet this little one. The expected arrival date is February 20, so that puts me at almost 14 weeks.

Here's a little sneak peek--quite adorable, right? :)

More in the morning…I think I got enough out of my head that I’ll be able to sleep now!