"They Call Me Mello Yellow": August 2009

So on Tuesday, I'll be 23 weeks pregnant! Besides the current cold I have, (4th one since pregnancy) and still puking up breakfast every morning, I'm feeling so much better. Yes I'm eating very healthy, getting my rest and taking my vitamins. I've only gained a total of 4 lbs so far and I'm very proud of that. My body has changed so much though. If I didn't have a scale, I'd think that I had gained 20 lbs. It's weird because my fat has shifted so even though I've only gained 4 lbs my once baggy clothes are now tight and uncomfortable. I still don't look very pregnant, just very wide. My sweet husband keeps reassuring me that I'm still beautiful. My wonderful mother-in-law took me on a Maternity Clothes Shopping Spree on Friday, so now I have more comfortable clothes. I also treated myself to a "Royal Pedicure" on Saturday so I'm feeling quite pampered now.

I was able to finally feel Baby Leah move at about the 21st week. It's such an amazing feeling. It's really hard to describe. It's really been the best part of pregnancy so far. Ben, my niece Reagan, my co-worker Patty and Ben's brother Isaiah have all been able to feel her too. I can't believe how much she moves. The last 3 ultrasounds we've had, the tech's have commented on how active she is. Sometimes they can't even get the snapshots and measurements they're going for. It's really cool to now feel what they are talking about.

My wonderful sister-in-law Carrie introduced me to Hypnobabies. It's a program where you learn self-hypnosis to get yourself in a relaxed state of mind so that you can naturally birth your baby without any drugs. I've been practicing it daily for about 2 months now and truly feel that it will work. You learn to use hypnosis as your anesthesia. You learn that pregnancy is natural, normal, healthy and safe. Not your personal real life horror film everyone talks about. There are many hypnobabies videos on youtube if any one's interested in looking them up. Carrie used Hypnobabies with her first childbirth and did so well. She had no epidural and was even snoring through most of her labor. I'm so excited to give birth and am very confident in my birth experience.

I've been lucky to have had so many ultrasounds during my pregnancy. I hear from most women that they only have one ultrasound throughout their entire pregnancies and I've already had 7 ultrasounds at only 5 months. My first OBGYN did an ultrasound at every appointment. My new OBGYN has done 1 in office and sent me on 2. It's just amazing to see how our little girl is growing and progressing.

At our first ultrasound I was only 3 days pregnant and we didn't see anything. That was a little scary but our doctor assured us that everything was normal. She didn't expect to see anything but she just wanted to try.

Our second ultrasound, at 6 weeks, we got to see the Gestational Sac and learned that my hormone levels had doubled as normal.

The Gestational Sac - 6 weeks

Our third ultrasound, at 8 weeks, we actually saw a little blob hanging out in the sac and were amazed to actually be able to see the heart beating.

The Blob - 8 weeks

At my fourth ultrasound, at 12 weeks, we saw what looked more like a little peanut with a heartbeat that this time we actually got to hear it too. I cried at this ultrasound. The doctor told us that it was a very strong little baby. We even saw the arms and legs kicking.

Our Little Peanut - 12 weeks

Our fifth ultrasound was at a place in Costa Mesa that was referred to us by a friend. It was a self elected ultrasound where we got to learn the sex of our little baby. This one was the most exciting ultrasound because at 16 1/2 weeks the baby had grown so much. It actually looked like a little human being and we got to see all the body parts. When the tech was trying to get the "money shot", our modest little baby was covering itself with both hands. It was so funny. Most exciting was when it finally moved it's hands out of the way and we learned that we were having a little girl! At first Ben wasn't so excited. My whole pregnancy thus far, Ben was convinced that we were having a boy. When the tech said it was girl, Ben asked, "Are you sure?" I could tell in his voice the disbelief and disappointment. The tech said that she was 100% sure and explained to us how different the anatomy looked. Ben was quite for a long time. I looked over at him and he was mouthing his thoughts but no words were coming out. This is something that Ben does when he's in deep thought. I squeezed his hand and after a few seconds he smiled and said, "Well, looks like I'm going to have my "Daddy's Little Girl!". He also told me that he was more excited then disappointed. This made me feel so much better. I knew how badly he wanted a boy especially since we only have females on my side of the family. A few nights after this ultrasound, we were in bed, scriptures read, prayers said, goodnight kiss and lights were off. I could tell he was still awake and asked him what he was thinking about and he said, "You know. I'm never going to be able to leave this little girl alone." It was so sweet. He is so excited to finally be able to be a Daddy.

Baby Skelatora - 16 1/2 weeks

1st Profile Picture "Baby Charlie Brown" - 16 1/2 weeks

The Arm and Hand - 16 1/2 weeks

100% Girl! - 16 1/2 weeks

Our sixth ultrasound at 19 weeks, was the one where all the measurements are taken and the baby is checked for any abnormalities. The tech was getting so frustrated because Baby Leah was moving all over the place. The ultrasound took over an hour just to get the snapshots she needed. I even almost passed out during this ultrasound because I had been laying flat on my back for so long. She had me move onto my side for the rest of the ultrasound. She said that the baby had very long legs that most women would die for. The tech also confirmed that yes, Leah was 200% girl.

Big Feet at the End of Very Long Legs - 19 weeks

Baby Leah's Big Head and Spine - 19 weeks

Leah "Loo-Who" Profile - 19 weeks

My last ultrasound, at 22 weeks, my doctor wanted me to see a specialist because my pregnancy is considered "high risk" because of my under active thyroid. Everything is fine and normal with both me and Leah. I still have to continue going to a specialist though to make sure that my TSH levels are staying on track. I guess with thyroid disease your chances of miscarriage are high if your levels aren't monitored. I'm so grateful that I have such good doctors that really care for my and my baby's well being. I'm also grateful because I get to have more ultrasounds done, for free! So at this ultrasound we got more snapshots of Little Leah. They even tried a 4D, but Leah doesn't have enough fat on her yet to get good shots

4D of Leah - 22 weeks

You can see the right half of her face and her right shoulder. Her right arm is up covering her left side of her face. The lightest part of the ultrasound is her forehead. You can see her right eye and little mouth.

I'm more and more excited everyday for our little girl to be here. Even though my pregnancy has been pretty rough so far, it is already totally worth it and I can't wait to do it again and again and again and again!!! Ben does want 8 little ones you know. He's told me that since before we got married. Hopefully we'll have a couple of sets of twins somewhere in there so I don't have to go through this too many times but I will if needed!

Two weeks ago my family went to Laguna Beach to have our family photos done. A student from my stepmother's school offered us a free session so she could get practice.