We are having a GIRL!

April 17th...Today we went to an elective ultrasound to find out the baby's gender.  Ben and I, along with most of our family and friends, had a strong feeling we were having a girl but the ultrasound confirmed it.  The technician was able to immediately see the three white lines in the pelvic region that are a definite sign the baby is a girl.  We are thrilled.  This was the first time I actually become emotional after a Doctor's visit and it was just what I needed to truly bond with our baby.  It's not that I haven't been excited about having a baby, its just that the entire experience thus far has been filled with terrible side effects and it was wonderful to get such great news and finally put a gender to this tiny miracle growing inside of me. 

Here are 16.5 week pics:

Look at those long legs!!! She doesn't have her mother genes. 

February and March

February 7th - April 8th...Well I have been "blessed" with morning sickness, actually all day sickness and to be honest it was horrible.  It's a very different experience than just having the stomach bug and one I do not wish to relive in a post so I will stop here.

March 23rd...Today we had our 13 week visit and wow the baby has grown.  We could see so much more detail than at the 6 week and 9 week ultrasounds.  At this appointment they also did an NT test.  An NT test shows "the collection of fluid beneath the fetal skin in the region of the fetal neck and this is present and seen in all fetuses in early pregnancy. The fluid collection is however increased in many fetuses with Down's syndrome and many other chromosomal abnormalities. This test results in a 90–95% detection rate of pregnancies that may be at an increased risk of carrying a genetical problem such as Downs Syndrome."

The good news is we past the test and have a 1 and 10,000 chance of passing along a genetical problem to our baby (the best results you can receive).

Here is our baby at 13 weeks:

First Doctor Appointment

February 6, 2012...Today Ben and I went to the Doctor's office to confirm the pregnancy and get an indication of how far along I was.  After explaining to the Doctor my unique situation (a very irregular cycle and the fact that the birth control I was on in December was just recalled) she agreed we needed an ultrasound immediatley to see how far along I was in my pregnancy.  The ultrasound technician was able to locate a heartbeat and estimated I was just over 6 weeks pregnant.  The baby pretty much looked like a small black spot with a little white dot flashing (this was the heart).  Hearing the heartbeat was an amazing experience and it was a relief to know everything thus far was fine.

I AM PREGNANT

January 17th, 7:30am...I woke up this morning feeling really weird.  I had been very tired and extra sore all over my body for the last couple of weeks but something told me to take a pregnancy test.  Well it was POSITIVE.  I immediately called Ben who was just as shocked as I was.  Our conversation may have lasted 3 mins with us each repeating "this can't be real" "are you kidding" "oh my gosh". After we hung up I had to call my parents because I needed someone other than Ben to tell me everything would be OK.  My father answered the phone and I started with "Well are you ready to be a grandpa?".  My parents were very surprised but thrilled with the news and helped me settled down my fears. By the end of the day, my parents and Ben's mom were told they would be grandparents and Ben and I just sat in shock that evening.

Well to back up and give you the global view, Ben and I only had our first serious discussion about having children 3 weeks before.  We agreed we would start trying this year (2012) and maybe by the end of the year be pregnant.  NEVER in our wildest dreams did we think it would happen that fast.  We both assumed we would have the entire year to get fully prepared (mostly mentally) to become parents.  To be continued...