Baby Piper's Shower

My friend from high school is having her first, a little girl named Piper. She is due in October. A few of us got together and had a little shower for her. It was good catching up.... congrats Brittany!

Michelle made a diaper cake, and she put little shoes for the centerpiece that she got in China for baby Piper.

Cute cupcakes from Gigi's

Brittany and Michelle

St. Benedict girls

Friends at the shower

We decorated onesies

Britt opening gifts

Brittany picked the name Piper because she is a pilot, and piper is the name of a company that manufactures airplanes. Pretty cool! Can't wait to meet baby Piper!

17 Weeks

This week has been interesting. I am noticeably pregnant! Actually asked by several people. Another milestone I reached was getting my first insulting pregnancy remark. While over at the new hospital getting ready for a big event for work we had last night, one of the sound guys asked me when I was due. I said "Feb 4." After looking at my belly, he then asked "Are you having twins?" I couldn't even respond. I know there will be many more comments to follow!

The baby is the size of an onion!

This week, the baby's skeleton is changing from cartilage to bone. He/She can move all joints, and sweat glands are developing. I have been feeling the baby move and it is so cool! We were sitting in church and the baby kicked so hard I jumped! From the ultrasounds and what I am feeling, we have one seriously active baby. Little scary. Here's what the baby looks like:

Here's what I look like:

17 down, 23 to go!

16 Weeks

The baby is the size of an avocado!

Baby Fields is doing great. This week, little bones inside the ears are forming so he/she can now hear our voices! Eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair are starting to fill in, and tastebuds are forming. Here's what the baby looks like...

Here's what I look like... getting rounder!

16 down, 24 to go!

Boy or Girl?

Brian has participated in every single old wives tale there is about guessing the gender of the baby. Apparently, things like this exist to find out the baby's gender before you can at the doctor! Does it work? Who knows, but I don't want to waste $35 to find out. I'll just wait for the ultrasound tech to tell me for sure.

Some other tall tales in determining gender......

The Chinese Gender Chart

Probably my fav of the gender tests. This one says Baby Fields will be a boy.

Carrying High, Carrying Low

The consensus is that if you carry high, you've got a girl; If you carry low, a boy. According to this, Baby Fields will be a boy.

Heartbeats

They say that faster heartrates (140+) mean girl and slower heart rates (140-) mean boy. In this case, Baby Fields will be a girl. In the last three appointments, the baby's heartrate was 143, 160, and 150.

Cravings

If you have intense cravings for chocolate and sweets, it's a girl. If you have intense cravings for sour or salty things, it's a boy. Those who know me well know that I have only had two serious pregnancy cravings - Sour Patch Kids and Extreme Sour Warheads. I also like salty pretzels. Can't get enough of that stuff. So.... if we go by this test, Baby Fields will be a boy.

The Drano Urine Test

Mix your urine with a little bit of Drano and see what color it turns. If it turns brown, it's a boy. If there is no color change, it's a girl. Baby Fields won't be participating in this one. Little crazy. Apparently, it can cause explosions too. No thanks.

Pencil Test

I participated in this one a year ago and it told me I would have two boys and one girl. You can do this one not pregnant. It's actually been right for a few of my friends, so you never know. You need a regular #2 pencil, a sewing needle and some thread. Stick the needle in the center/top of the pencil eraser. Then thread the needle. Lay your hand down on hard surface with your palm facing up. Have someone hold the pencil above your wrist and be very still. Watch the motion of the pencil. If it moves up and down the length of your arm, it's boy. If it moves side to side across your wrist, it's a girl. To find out how many you are having, keep playing the test until the pencil comes to a complete stop.

Husband's Weight Gain

If your husband gains weight during your pregnancy, it's a girl. If his weight stays the same, it's a boy. Not sure what Brian's weight is, but I don't think he has gained any.

Mother's Intuition

In one study, what they mother thinks they are having is right 71% of the time. In my case, I seriously have no clue what I am having so this test does nothing for me.

Brian has a strong feeling it's a girl. I don't know what to think.

What do you think we're having? Boy or girl?

"Cha-Ching!"

Babies are expensive!

Last night, Brian and I spent some quality time with our financial planners. We try to recommend them to all our engaged friends in Memphis. They are a great third party in our marriage :) When we got married, they helped us combine all our finances, save for our retirement, save for kids, and get our wills set up and notarized. In our opinion, every couple should have someone like this. We recommend our folks, and if you are interested, you can contact them here.

In my attempts to get ready for Baby Fields, I have been thinking about short term costs. Maternity clothes, daycare, diapers, crib, car seat, stroller, food, etc. All of the little things that add up to big bucks. Brian has been thinking private school tuition, college, monthly household expenses, rising insurance costs, etc. - long term costs. I guess that is why we balance each other out. According to our financial planners, we are both big-time savers. When/If Brian gets a bonus at work, we do not think "Great! What can we buy?" We think "Great! Let's throw it in our Roth IRAs!" So this whole baby thing has been interesting. We have been saving, saving, saving, and the moment has come to spend.

So what do a couple of conservative twenty-somethings do?

Freak out. Well, at first. Then comes the planning (our other favorite thing to do besides save money). We did as much advanced planning and saving as we could... now comes real life. But we feel blessed and ready, and know it's just a part of the journey.

We do know one thing for sure - we will love this little money-eater more than words can say.

Grunke Wedding

We just got back from Knoxville where we celebrated Meg and Aaron's wedding! It was so much FUN, like a big college reunion. Meg is from Knoxville, so we got to know her family and high school friends well while we were in college. This made her wedding that much more special.

We got into Knoxville Friday night and went straight to Downtown Grill & Brewery, our fav hangout in college. I just want to brag on myself a little bit, because this pregnant girl stayed out until 2:30 a.m.!!!!! Did I mention I love the second trimester? My friends and husband also loved this because they have a constant designated driver. Just a fun conversation from the back of the car after a couple people had one too many:

Ryan: I love having a pregnant friend to drive me home after a night of drinking.

Brian (aka my husband): Me too!

Laughter from the 6 people in my car

Ryan: Cami's not your friend

Brian: I know, she is my best friend

Ryan: Can we stop and get donuts?

Saturday we got up and went to lunch at the greatest place ever, Tomatohead. We also walked around Market Square, got back to Bev and Christian's where we were staying, and got ready for the wedding. The wedding was held at Second Pres Church and the reception was at the Knoxville Museum of Art. After that, we went back to DG&B and AGAIN I stayed out until 2 a.m. and drove everyone home. Quite entertaining. Lots of funny stories, great memories, and an awesome reunion with some of my most favorite people. Enjoy a few pics taken with my camera!

Megan Hurt's favorite table at the reception :)

My most favorite family (not counting my own) - the Hurt's!

Very cute koozies for my bottles of water

The bride and groom dancing the night away

Leslie and Adrianne!

The two of us!

Congrats Meg and Aaron! Have fun in Mexico!

15 Weeks and Doc Appointment

The baby is the size of a large naval orange!

For some reason, time seems to be going quicker these days. I have my energy back, I can eat anything, and I am finally starting to feel like the old Cami again :) So far, I am really liking the second trimester. I seriously feel like a new person after all that first trimester nonsense. I am also sporting a noticeable little baby bump! So fun! This week the baby's eyelids are still fused shut, but it can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at my belly, the baby will move away from the light. It's arms and legs are busy growing, and it's moving like crazy!

I went to the doctor on Thursday. Everything is going great! I've copied and pasted an email my husband wrote to his mom after the doc appt. So sweet, but also sooo Brian!

Mom,

Just a quick note… I tried to call your cell and thought this would be easier than leaving a long voice message…...

We went to the OBGYN this morning for our monthly appt. Everything went fine. I was glad to get to meet the Dr. She is really friendly and seems very knowledgeable. The baby's heart rate was 150 beats per minute (normal - about twice as fast as mom's 77 bpm). For this reason, she could not do an ultrasound because it wasn't warranted (despite Cami's attempts to beg her). We will have to wait until next month (20 wks) to find out gender with that ultrasound. Our next appt. is 9/16. We are going to another Dr. on 9/20 for a fetal echo to check out the heart and other vital organs more in depth.

I'll provide more info on the fetal echo later.... although, nothing to be alarmed about. Not included in the email was the fact that the baby is LOW. The doctor had to move around the doppler a lot until she finally found our little one pretty far below my belly button. I'm hoping he/she moves up so I can have a cute baby bump and not a freakish one :)

In the meantime, here I am!

15 down, 25 to go!